The Perfect Fall Weekend, Revisited
by Oneturtledove
Summary: An alternate outcome of a previous story. Baby fic. Be warned.
1. Telling Mulder, Telling Maggie

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Spoilers: None or all. We'll see.

**A/N: This is an alternate ending to my other story "The Perfect Fall Weekend." Highly recommended that you read that first (although you could just forget the ending of Per Manum and you will be caught up). This picks up at the end of chapter 7 of that story and pretty much goes AU from there. I never thought I would do that. SHRIEK! If you think they're out of character and they would never do this... well that's your opinion. This is the reason I don't write the show after all. This is just fluff. If you don't like "matched 'em and hatched 'em" fics, skip merrily away.**

Summary: What if it did?

* * *

When she came through the door, she wasn't quite sure what she would say. In the back of their minds, they had both been expecting failure. It wasn't that they wanted failure, it was that they had never really succeeded at something they both wanted. She stopped at her door, half of her wanting to burst through it and pick up the phone and call him to come over with cake and pizza. The other half wanted to be by herself, and savor the small secret for a little while before cluing him in. That wasn't very fair though. She probably should have moved the appointment so he could be there.

As it happened, she didn't have to make a choice, because he was lying on her couch when she opened the door.

"Hey," he said groggily as she shut the door. "What time is it?"

"Just before six. Are you feeling okay? You look tired."

"Just sitting and thinking."

He looked up at her for the first time and tipped his head to the side.

"Scully?"

"Yes?"

"You're going to have weird cravings and you're going to beg me to rub your feet and you're going to gain some weight, aren't you?"

She nodded and giggled as he stood up from the couch and hugged her.

"Really? Are they sure?"

"Positive, Mulder. They did a blood test and everything. You're going to be a daddy."

He grinned and touched her stomach gently.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired. And I have to pee, but what else is new?"

He laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Go take care of that and then come back out here. I have something for you."

She nodded and was back in five minutes, cuddling up next to him on the couch. He handed her an envelope with the number two printed on it.

"What is it?"

"Open it."

She obeyed and found a piece of paper with a tiny dot on it.

"Mulder?"

"That's how big the baby is right now a little before three weeks. Just under two millimeters."

"It's so little."

"I know. But it'll be bigger and bigger every week and before you know it we'll be sending him or her off to kindergarten."

She chuckled and swiped at the tear that had formed in her eye.

"So what did the doctor say exactly? Are you healthy?"

"Yeah. She says the "weather is right for hatching a baby," whatever that means. I need to take prenatal vitamins, but I've already been doing that. She said she also wants me to take calcium supplements until my next visit."

"Did she do an ultrasound?"

"No, but we have one scheduled in a while. I didn't want you to miss it."

"Thanks. Did she say when to expect morning sickness?"

"As early as next week but she said not to worry about it too much until it happens."

He relaxed onto the couch, keeping her cocooned in his arms. He rubbed his hand gently over her stomach and sighed.

"There's a baby in there."

"Yes. There is."

They were quiet for a long time, both lost in their thoughts.

"Scully?"

"Yeah?"

"Should we tell your mom now?"

"Let's wait a little longer. I want to be sure."

"We're going to have to tell Skinner soon. He might put you on desk duty."

"That's okay. I thought about all that before I even asked you to be a part of this, Mulder. I'm ready. This baby is more important to me than my job."

"Ditto."

"So you're going to take it easy too?"

"It's going to be hard to be a father if I'm not around. Besides, we talked about this last night. We're both in, one hundred percent. And I know I can't do much now, but I can make up for it in diapers later."

"Diapers and throw up and you've got yourself a deal."

He laughed and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Scully."

"I love you too."

* * *

The next few weeks passed with minimal excitement. Skinner was happy for them although a little surprised and slightly uncomfortable, and did put Scully on desk duty. She didn't mind.

Mulder gave her an envelope every week, documenting the size of their baby. "It's eight whole centimeters this week, Scully. That's huge!" She would just nod and run to the bathroom. Her morning sickness was fierce, but usually gone by 10 a.m. She slept a lot on the weekends and sometimes fell asleep at her desk. She was glad the fatigue was her main symptom and not the morning sickness. At least she could do something about fatigue.

She was also getting emotional. She cried over the littlest things, from sappy commercials, to not being able to find her shoes. Sometimes she cried thinking that the pregnancy would never be over and sometimes she cried out of fear of what her child would see in the world. Mulder comforted her through all of this. He knew just what to say to stop her tears, or deflect the angry words that were headed his way.

"Scully," Mulder began one night as they sat on the couch.

"Hmm?"

"You're starting to look pregnant."

"What?"

"You glow. And you have a tiny bump."

"I do?"

"Yeah. Just barely. But that could just be because I'm looking for it."

She giggled and their hands joined over her stomach.

"Are you ready for the appointment tomorrow?"

"Yep. You?"

"You know I am."

He had started holding a stethoscope up to her stomach about a week before, hoping he could hear a heartbeat. She just humored him. This appointment was mostly to check her health, as it was still a little early for an ultrasound. That would come around 10 weeks.

"So Scully, about this whole getting married thing..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you still want to do it, or was that hormones?"

She grinned and turned to face him.

"I still want to marry you. But I hope you realize that life as we know it is pretty much over."

"I don't mind. It's time we grew up, Scully."

She arched her eyebrow at him.

"Are you gonna wear a white dress?"

That comment sent her into a fit of giggles as she clapped her hand over her mouth.

"What? It's a relevant question!"

"I know. I just thought we were still doing the courthouse thing."

"Yeah, but what are you going to wear?"

"Mulder... I don't know. I didn't think that was a huge concern."

"Well when do you want to do it? Do you want your mom there?"

She sighed, her hand resting over her stomach.

"I don't know. I kind of feel like I want this to just be our secret, you know?"

"Scully, you can't keep a marriage and a baby secret for long."

"I know."

"Let's just decide later, okay?"

"Alright."

* * *

It was the day of judgment. Mulder squirmed in his seat, tried to adjust the lap belt, and fiddled with the radio. Scully sighed as she reached over and touched his hand, bringing it down to rest on the console between them.

"It's going to be okay."

"Your mom is going to kill me."

"She is not."

"She's going to think I convinced you to elope as step one in my elaborate plan to brainwash you and drive her out of your life."

"Mulder, your plan is too brilliant; she'll never figure it out."

He rolled his eyes and turned back to the road.

"She's going to know the minute she looks at you."

"No she's not."

"Your mom is psychic, Scully. She always knows what's going down."

"Do you think she'll really see this coming?"

"I don't know."

They were quiet.

"Mulder, she's not going to be mad at you. She's not going to be mad at me. I already tested the waters on the subject."

"How'd you do that?"

"I told her that two people at the bureau eloped. She said that there was no reason to deny them happiness. I even tried to bait her and ask her what she would have done if one of us would have eloped. She just laughed and said that it wouldn't matter if we were in love. And you and I are in love, so it doesn't matter does it?"

"No, it doesn't."

"She's going to be thrilled."

"For sure?"

"Mulder... she's been predicting this for about 5 years."

"Are you kidding?"

"I'm as serious as you are nervous. If she gets mad at anyone, it will be me anyway."

"What did you tell her when you said we were coming over?"

"I told her that we hadn't seen her in a while and we thought we'd spend the day with her."

"We."

"Yes, we. It's not a secret that you and I are basically attached at the hip."

"Now we've got the papers to prove it."

She giggled and squeezed his hand.

Maggie eyed her daughter for a moment before smiling.

"Dana, is there something going on I should know about?"

They had been inside her mother's house for less than 20 minutes.

"Well mom..." she started, looking to Mulder for a little help. He just shrugged at her. They hadn't exactly discussed how they were going to break the news to Maggie.

"There is something going on you should know about, and um... I want you to listen to all of it before you say anything. Okay?"

"Fair enough."

There was a long silence before Scully took a deep breath and began.

"Mom, I know you know about the tests that were done on me when I was taken. And I thought... or I was told that I would never be able to conceive. Without going into too much detail, that information wasn't entirely true. And, um... I think Mulder can finish the rest of the story."

He nodded and took her hand.

"We found out that with fertility treatments and an IVF procedure, Dana could be able to conceive. Of course, there were a lot of tests to be done and things of that sort, but what it comes down to... well, what I mean is... Dana is pregnant."

Maggie's jaw dropped but she didn't utter a word.

"And mom? Just so we're all on the same page here, Mulder is the father. And about two weeks ago, we got married."

"Now this wasn't just a marriage of convenience, Maggie. We're in love. We have been for a long time, even though we didn't want to admit it. And we know this is kind of sudden and out of character for us, but so is having a baby. And we're ready for the change and we're excited about it. And you can probably say something now."

She just stared at them for a long moment before standing up and leaving the room.

Scully sighed and turned to Mulder.

"So I guess she is going to be mad."

"Maybe you should go and talk to her."

She nodded and left the room, finding her mother in the kitchen.

"Mom?"

"Why didn't you tell me, Dana?"

"It was complicated, mom. We wanted to make sure that I could actually get pregnant before we told anyone. We didn't want to get your hopes up if it didn't work."

"But you told him."

"Well, yeah..." she muttered. "I kind of needed his help to have a baby with him, mom."

"I just thought as your mother I would be privy to the two biggest events in your life. Did you not want me there for a particular reason?"

"No. We had been talking about it for a while, and one day, we just went down to the courthouse and did it. We didn't leave you out to hurt you. It was just... it was something that we felt we needed to do together."

"Dana, it wasn't like you needed to be ashamed, like you got yourself into trouble or something. This was like, premeditated pregnancy. You could have let me know that you were going to try."

"Mom, does it matter how this baby or this marriage came to be? Does it really change your opinion on the situation?"

"How far along are you?"

"10 weeks."

"And never one word?"

"I'm sorry."

"You were here at Christmas. It would have been a perfect time to tell everyone, but you didn't say anything."

"I was only 6 weeks along. We hadn't even had an ultrasound yet. Maybe we didn't want to jinx it."

Maggie was quiet, leaning against the counter and biting her lip.

"Mom, I know you're mad, and I understand that. So we're going to go and let you get used to this. We have an appointment tomorrow. The doctor thinks I could be carrying twins, so we're having an ultrasound, and we would like you to be there. The appointment is at 3:30."

She left the room and found Mulder pacing the hallway.

"Hey, you look like an anxious father already."

"She still mad?"

"She's hurt. There's not much I can do about it now. I told her we were going to leave and let her process things."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Believe me, if mom and I have anything in common, it's our desire for space."

He kissed her softly and helped her slip into her coat.

* * *

He found her up at 2 a.m. She was standing in front of the stove, one hand on her hip.

"Scully? What are you doing?"

"I was hungry. I'm making a grilled cheese. Want half?"

"Sure."

He stood next to her, rubbing her back gently.

"Are you still upset?"

"Kind of. I wasn't expecting mom to call Bill and tell him."

"Yeah, that was a pleasant surprise."

"It's just makes me so mad that they can't even be happy about the baby. They just want to be mad at me for the way this happened. They act like I'm some rebellious teenager or something."

"Well you did get pregnant out of wedlock. You know how they are about that," he half teased.

"Yeah, but it's not like... I mean... it's not so much... well they know how it..."

"I like you flustered."

"This isn't funny, Mulder."

"I know it's not. But I assure you, in time, things will get better and once that baby-"

"Or babies."

"Or babies are here, they're going to fall in love and all of this will be forgotten. Alright?"

She nodded and he kissed her cheek.

"Charlie's going to be happy for you, we know that much."

"Yeah, he always takes my side."

"You weren't really hungry, were you?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"No."

"Then turn that off and come back to bed. We have stuff to do tomorrow."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, turning the burner off and putting the sandwich in the trash. "Like what?"

"Well, I thought that since we have the day off, it might be a good time to price some cribs and rocking chairs and changing tables."

"Really?"

"Yep. Is that alright?"

"I thought you would never ask," she answered, slipping into the bed. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, then rested his hand on her stomach.

"Scully?"

"Hmm?"

"What if it's twins?"

"Then we'll buy more diapers."

"Scully."

"Are you worried or something?"

"No. I just... I don't know much about babies, and I think if we had two, you'd be exhausted from trying to teach me stuff and trying to take care of them."

"Mulder, you'll be fine. You've already been reading a lot and once they or it gets here, some things will come naturally."

"How are you so relaxed about this?"

"I have to be. Being a parent is a big deal, but we'll figure it out and we'll do fine. Okay?"

"I guess if you're okay, I'm okay."

"Good."

He looked at her for a long moment before leaning down to kiss her.

"You know I love you like crazy, right?"

"Back at you."

* * *

**A/N: So, it's up to you, dear readers. Continue? Boy? Girl? Twins? I kind of have an idea in mind, but I would like to know what everyone prefers. Suggestions please!**


	2. Charlie, Oak Cribs, and Ultrasounds

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Still trying to make a final decision.... but at least I know triplets are out of the running...

* * *

They both woke up around 7 a.m. to the sound of the phone ringing.

"It's for you," Scully muttered, squishing her face up in disapproval.

"How do you know?"

"It's inconvenient."

He grumbled and reached over her to grab the phone.

"Hello?... Oh, hi... yeah, she's right here."

He handed to phone to Scully with a smirk.

"It's Charlie."

She rubbed her eyes and took the phone before getting out of bed. She had a feeling this would be a pacing kind of conversation.

"Hey Charlie."

"Hey Danes. I'm not catching you in the middle of a morning sickness pukefest, am I?"

"No, you're not. I take it mom called you."

"No, it was an irate Bill. Thanks for the warning by the way. I have never heard so much cursing in my life, not even when dad's buddies came over to play poker."

"I'm sorry. I was going to call you today."

"That's alright. How are you feeling?"

"Fat."

"Yeah, a kid will do that to you. How's married life?"

She blushed and headed into the other room. Mulder just grinned and rolled over to go back to sleep.

"It's good. You're not upset, are you?"

"That you eloped? Dana, I'm far from upset. I'm actually pretty proud of you. I never thought Dana Katherine Scully would elope. Never in a million years."

"Mom and Bill are livid."

"Yeah, but I learned long ago to let you do what you want because everyone will be happier that way. Bill's just sore that you married Mulder, which he's going to have to get over anyway."

"But you're not mad?"

"No. As long as you're happy, I have no reason to be mad. You are happy, right?"

"Yeah. Really happy."

"Good. Gonna name this kid after me?"

She laughed and sat down on the couch.

"We'll think about it."

"So is the baby healthy?"

"Yeah. It's either hit a growth spurt or it's twins."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Twins are common with fertility treatments, but one baby is far more likely. We'll find out this afternoon."

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"Either one is fine with me, but I think Mulder would like a boy to play baseball with. I think he would be totally lost with a girl."

"I would not," Mulder muttered, walking towards the kitchen. She just smiled.

"Well, having two of both, I can tell you that boys are a lot easier than girls, except for potty training."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Girls think too much. They're too emotional. Well, at least mine are. But as a dad, there's nothing like having a little girl and not being ashamed to play with My Little Ponies."

She laughed, picturing Mulder playing with plastic pink horses. Definitely not something she would ever have imagined 3 months ago.

"Well, I gotta go Danes."

"Thanks for the call Charlie."

"You're welcome. I love you Sis."

"Love you too."

"Call us after the appointment."

"We will. Bye."

"Bye."

She turned the phone off and sat quietly for a moment before letting a grin break across her face.

"Mulder?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what a My Little Pony is?"

* * *

"Scully, you're going to have to make a decision."

"I can't. I don't even know what color we're going to paint the room. And you're making buying a house noises. What if we do buy a house and the color in there clashes with the crib color?"

"Then we'll repaint."

"Should we get one of those cribs that expands to a queen sized bed later?"

"Sure."

"Or do we want to get a plain crib and later buy bunk beds for sleepovers? What if it is twins, Mulder? Should we buy two cribs now or should we wait?"

"Scully," he said, taking her by the shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "White, oak, or cherry?"

She sighed.

"I guess oak. It's the most neutral."

"Good. Now here is an entire oak set. It comes with the crib, a changing table and a glide rocker pretty similar to the one you were salivating over earlier. The crib expands into a toddler bed, a day bed, and a queen size bed, we just have to buy new mattresses. Is there anything else we might need?"

She looked at the large box, contemplating how long it would take Mulder to put together three pieces of furniture, not to mention the stroller that had been on sale at the front of the store.

"If we can hire someone to put these together, then no, I don't think we need anything else."

He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"Good. I'll call Bob Vila when we get home."

She smiled and Mulder placed their order with the college girl who had been helping them.

"Now, do we want to tackle car seats then head out for lunch?"

"Let's forget about car seats for now. We'll have an early lunch and go home so I can take a nap before the appointment."

"Okay. You go ahead to the car and I'll finish up in here."

* * *

The ultrasound technician was quiet for several moments, staring at the screen. Scully was getting a little nervous at the silence, not to mention desperately needing to use the bathroom. Mulder sat next to her, his eyes fixed on the screen, not really sure what the grainy blobs were.

"There we go," the technician said finally, stepping away from the screen so they could see it better. "One little heartbeat." She turned the sound up on the machine. Mulder just stared at the screen with a look on his face that Scully had never seen before. It rivaled any of the looks of wonder he'd had for lights in the sky.

"Heartbeat looks good, about 155 beats per minute. Measuring a little closer to eleven and a half weeks, but it's probably just a growth spurt. There's an arm right there, let me see if I can get a better angle." They were all quiet for a moment. "There we go. Two arms, two legs, one head."

"You can't tell if it's a boy or a girl yet, can you?" Mulder asked finally.

"Not until about week 20. You can schedule that appointment before you leave today if you'd like to. Let me just get some images to print off for you."

20 minutes later they were sitting in the car with three glossy images in front of them.

"Okay Scully, you're going to have to help me out here. I have no idea what I'm looking at."

"This is the head on this side, and the butt on this side."

"It looks like a lima bean."

"I know."

"Why is the head so big?"

"It'll even out as the baby gets bigger."

"Is that the spine right there?" he asked pointing to a faint white line.

"Yes it is."

"And how big is it right now?"

"Less than half an ounce. About the size of a plum, I think."

"Tiny."

"In about two weeks its fingerprints will be formed though."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"How long until we can feel it move?"

"Not for a while."

He grinned.

"That is a real baby in there."

"Yes, it is."

* * *

A/N II: I seriously spent forever looking at ultrasound photos and videos to try and figure out exactly what you can see on those. The answer is not much unless you're lucky. My best friend's 10 week pictures are... well... not so great. Just a double blob that will soon be my niece. But I did see some really neat "baby facing doppler" pictures where you can see arms and legs and chins. Pretty cute.


	3. A Cereal Conversation

A/N: I'm having a hard time coming up with ideas for the next few chapters until Scully-Mulder Jr. gets here... the end of this chapter gives me butterflies. Much shorter than the rest, more later...

* * *

She was sitting on the couch, her hands pressed into her lap when he returned from his run. She had been sleeping soundly when he left, carefully tucked under the covers.

"Good morning," he said, leaning down to kiss her. He let his hand linger on her stomach, which had grown a lot in the last two weeks. "Is everything okay?"

"Bill called."

He sat down next to her and took her hand.

"I thought after this long he was just going to drop the subject. What did he say?"

"He told me I was stupid and he couldn't believe that I would throw my life away like this. He said I broke mom's heart by not telling her and I should be trying to let her in now. He started telling me about getting an annulment and even gave me the name of this lawyer he knows."

"Oh honey..."

"I hung up on him. What makes him think that I would leave you? Does he even know me at all? And I have given mom the chance to be a part of this and she's chosen to stay mad. I can't do anything more than I have already. I just... I hate him so much."

"You don't hate him."

"Then what do you call the strong desire to see him dead?"

"I call that being mad. Which you have every right to be. But sweetheart, at some point, you're going to have to stop caring what he thinks."

"I don't care what he thinks."

"Yes you do. If you didn't, you wouldn't be sitting here stewing."

"Well, I don't want to care what he thinks. How's that?"

"Admitting you have a problem-"

He deserved the elbow to his ribs. Chuckling, he pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Honey, don't let it bother you. Bill is always going to dislike me. There's nothing either one of us can do about it. So let's just not worry about it, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Now, do you want some breakfast?"

She nodded and followed him to the kitchen.

"Cereal again?"

"Yep."

"At least your cravings are consistent."

"Have you been eating my Fruity Pebbles?" she asked, shaking the almost empty box in his face.

"I got hungry last night."

"We're going to have to go shopping later."

"I think we need to start buying cereal in bulk. You go through a box a day."

"Hey, I'm eating for two. Growing a baby is hard work."

"I know," he said, pulling her into a hug. "But you're sure hot while you do it."

She laughed and leaned up to kiss him.

"That's nice to hear."

"It's nice to see too," he said, waggling his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes and he pulled her closer, his hand finding its way to the small of her back. He kissed her deeply and she rose up on her toes to reach him better.

"Dana," he said after a moment, pulling away to rest his forehead on hers. "No matter what anyone says, and no matter how mad your brother gets, I will always be glad I married you, and I will always love you."

A tear slid from her eye and he brushed it away.

"What?"

"I've just been worried."

"About what?"

"I keep having these dreams that you start feeling trapped, and you leave. And I know that you would never leave, but I don't ever want you to feel trapped. This life we have now, being married and getting ready for a baby, it's so far from the life you had. You had freedom and now you're tied down. I just don't want you to resent me or the baby."

"Honey, you don't have to worry. Yes, I had a different life before, but that doesn't mean I don't want the life I have now. I wouldn't change anything. I want this, all of this, just as much as you do."

She sniffled and buried her face in his chest.

"I love you," she said after a moment. He smiled and tipped her chin up to kiss her.

"I love you too sweetheart."


	4. The first move

A/N: So I am sitting here at my computer with no idea what to write. I mean, I just have no real direction. Writing pregnancy is hard, especially for those of us who have never been pregnant before. Desperately wishing sissy would come home from Qatar so I could call her and have my muse unblocked.

* * *

They sat on the couch quietly, a baby name book between them and note pads in their hands. They would read through a page, write down the names they liked, and compare notes. It was certainly tedious, and it wasn't going very well. Most names they even came close to liking had negative connotations to cases they had worked on or people they had known in the past. The rest didn't flow with the middle names they had picked out.

Scully sighed to herself and crossed yet another name off her now tiny list of girls names.

"Mulder, we've agreed on 10 girls names, 6 of which don't go well with Samantha. The other 4 I'm not completely sold on. I don't even want to think about going on to boys names. You're picky."

"You like hippy names. Willow? Really?"

"Maybe it's a guilty pleasure, but I think it's nice. You only like grandma names."

"Let's just keep these four on the list for now and maybe we'll come up with more later."

"This would be a lot easier if we knew the sex."

"There's not much we can do about that for a while. Want to put the book away?"

She sighed.

"No, I don't want to leave this undone."

"Hon, on a scale of one to ten, you frustrate me at about an eight."

"Sorry," she half-giggled. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her.

"Mulder," she managed to mumble before he kissed her again. "You're trying.... to distract me... from the book... aren't you?"

"I'd never do that."

"You're evil," she retorted as he tossed the book onto the coffee table and lay down on the couch, pulling her down next to him. "Of course that's what you're doing."

"Or maybe I just think that you need to relax," he replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Or maybe you're just lazy and -"

Suddenly her eyes grew wide and her hand flew to her stomach.

"What? What's wrong?"

"The baby moved," she whispered.

"Really?"

She nodded and his hand joined hers.

"You probably won't be able to feel it for a little while yet. But it really moved."

"Wow. What's it feel like?"

"It's just fluttery. Like fish or something."

"Fish? What kind? Like goldfish or trout?"

"I don't know. Bigger than goldfish. There it is again."

"That's amazing."

* * *

It seemed that once the baby learned to jab and poke its mother, it didn't want to stop. Scully giggled every time it happened, causing Mulder to laugh and immediately put his hand over her stomach. He wasn't able to feel the baby, but Scully assured him in the next few weeks, he would be able to feel all the kicks and punches too.

They were just getting ready to order a pizza for dinner when there was a knock on the door.

"Think the delivery guy is psychic?" Mulder asked heading for the door.

"You only wish," Scully replied, pouring herself a glass of water. Mulder opened to door and was quiet for a moment.

"Maggie," he stated finally, causing Scully to come out of the kitchen.

"Hi Fox."

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

Mulder took her coat and they all sat down in the front room.

"I need to apologize," Maggie began, wringing her hands. "While I may have had a right to get angry, I had no reason to stay angry. This child does not need to be born into a family that is arguing, and your marriage doesn't need to start off with the complication either. I just want to apologize for that. You two didn't deserve it. I would hate for you to be mad at me."

"Oh mom," Scully said, reaching over and hugging her mother. "We're not mad at you. We know we didn't go about this in the best way for everyone involved, and we're sorry for that too."

"Yeah Maggie. We don't want you to think that we left you out on purpose."

"I know you had your reasons. I may never understand you two, but I love you both, and I'm sorry I wasn't more supportive."

"We don't have any hard feelings."

"I'm just sorry it took me so long to finally grow up. I've missed so much."

"Well then, I'll let Dana fill you in while I go order dinner. You can stay, right?"

"Of course."

"I hope pizza's okay."

"Pizza's great."

He stood from his chair and hugged her quickly before heading for the kitchen.

"So fill me in," Maggie said with a smile. "How is everything?"

"It's good. I'm healthy and the baby is healthy and it started moving around this morning. Everything is on schedule for a due date of August 19th."

"So what's your gut feeling, boy or girl?"

"I have no idea. I kind of want a boy for Mulder. He'd love to have someone to play sports with and all that other boy stuff. But then I kind of want a girl because he would love to have a daughter."

"Dana," Maggie started, chuckling a little. "Do you realize that you're basing what you want on what would make him happy?"

She smiled.

"I know."

"Well, that's marriage for you."

"It is?"

"I'm not saying you forget your own preferences or ideas, but when his happiness weighs into your decisions that much, you're on your way to a happy marriage. It makes compromise a lot easier. As long as he feels the same way, which I'm sure he does."

"Yeah, he does."

"How is married life?"

She chuckled, remembering that Charlie had asked her the same question.

"Good. It's a lot easier than I thought it would be. I thought we would fight or have a lot of problems learning how to live together, but it feels like we've been doing it for years. We've loved each other and for most intents and purposes, we were like a married couple for so long, but marriage bonds you in a way that I can't really explain. I've never felt so safe and secure in my life. And he's so patient with me when I have mood swings or cravings, he just does whatever I need him to do and he doesn't complain. He's just been perfect and I haven't had to train him on anything except picking up his clothes, but even then I only asked him once."

"So you're basically telling me that you're completely spoiled."

"Pretty much."

"I'm glad, honey. I don't think I have ever seen you this happy."

"I don't think I ever have been."

* * *

"So I take it you had a nice visit with your mom," Mulder commented as he slid into bed later that night. Scully snuggled up to him as soon as he settled in, her head resting on his chest.

"Yeah. I didn't realize how much I wanted to share this with her."

"It's good she came over."

"I'm sorry for the change in plans. I was looking forward to sweats and t-shirts and a Chris Farley marathon."

"It's okay. We'll do it next weekend. Or the one after that. We have the rest of our lives, you know."

She yawned and the baby moved in protest.

"I'm sorry I'm so tired," she mumbled.

"It's alright, honey. You need your rest and I'm sure a weeks worth of budget meetings really didn't help."

"No," she agreed. "Let's sleep in tomorrow. Like... past 10."

"That's my girl."

Her hand found his and he laced their fingers together.

"Goodnight, honey," she whispered, tipping her chin up so he could kiss her. He gladly obliged.

"Goodnight."

* * *

He woke the next morning to her stretching next to him, then gasping for air.

"What's the matter?" he asked, sitting up.

"Cramp," she answered.

This happened about once a week. She would stretch too far and get a cramp from the arch of her foot up to her knee. He always teased and said it was because she went cold turkey with the high heels.

He grabbed her foot and worked it gently until the cramp was gone and the stiffness was bearable.

"Thanks."

He ran his hand up her calf and squeezed her knee.

"You go ahead and have a bubble bath, I'll make breakfast, and then we can go for a walk."

"Sounds good."

He helped her from the bed, then went into the kitchen. Being in her second trimester and having a naturally fast metabolism, she practically demanded a large breakfast in the morning. Cereal, bagels, eggs, and whatever fruit they had on hand were usually on the menu. He set to work chopping, frying and toasting, and letting his mind wander.

He still couldn't believe how he'd lucked out. A beautiful wife, a baby on the way- it was almost too perfect and domesticated for Fox Mulder. He'd always secretly desired someone to come home to and share life with, and now that he had it, it felt too good to be true. He sometimes worried that he'd feel like he had made a mistake or that Scully would think she had. Or maybe he would wake up one morning and live in a momentary high from the dream, then crash down to his cold, lonely leather couch. The fear of losing it all was almost enough to make him run away, but the sheer joy of what life now was kept him there.

He couldn't wait to wake up with her every morning. Couldn't wait to hear their child cry for the first time. Couldn't wait for the first smile, the first laugh, the first steps. Couldn't wait to share it all with her.

"So I was thinking," Scully announced, entering the room in a robe, smelling of vanilla and ripe red currants.

"Dangerous. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking of having a water birth."

"A who?"

This strange declaration was certainly unexpected.

"A water birth," she repeated, pouring them both a glass of orange juice. "Ellen had one with Tyler and she said it was much easier than the regular birth with Trent. Plus it's easier on the baby, there's less chance of having to have pitocin or an epidural, it sometimes speeds up delivery, and you're looking at me like I have 7 heads."

"Sorry. I just thought water birth was a new-agey, Birkenstocky, Melissa Scully type of thing."

She grinned at his description.

"It may have been at one time, but now it's common and even encouraged."

"Oh."

"You're uncomfortable talking about this, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little. I just haven't spent much time thinking about the whole birthing process. It kind of weirds me out to know that you're going to be in pain and I won't be able to fix that. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."

"You're more nervous about this than I am."

"Should I not be?"

"No, it's okay. I'm a little apprehensive about this, but I can handle it. I'll need you there though to hold my hand and feed me ice chips, okay?"

"Alright."

"And you can't pass out or you will be severely mocked."

"People pass out?"

"A surprising number of fathers hit the linoleum."

"I will do my best to no pass out."

"Good. We'll take birthing classes and you'll be fine."

"And you'll be fine too. And you too," he added, touching her belly. "Any movement this morning?"

"A little, but nothing really major. I think this child is going to like sleeping in."

"Well, let's hope he or she inherits your sleeping patterns and not mine."

"And definitely not your snoring."

"Hear, hear," he joked, tapping his glass with hers. She giggled and leaned up to kiss him.

"I love you."

"If you're still saying that during 2 a.m. feedings, then I'll know it's true."


	5. Big as a house

They hadn't really been looking for a house when they first saw it. They had innocently been walking through the neighborhood one Saturday afternoon when Mulder spotted a 'for sale' sign in front of a two story, yellow and brick house with a large front porch. He'd casually mentioned what a nice house it was and Scully had casually agreed. When they got closer, they saw that there was an open house going on. Without discussing it, they had gone inside and spent a few minutes looking around. They didn't really talk about the house again.

That is, until a few days later when Mulder plopped down in the chair across from Scully's desk in the bull pen, tossed her an official looking file folder, and announced that he had bought the house.

She just stared at him for a moment, blinked rapidly, and stared again.

"What house?" she said finally.

"The yellow one. Down the street, in the cul-de-sac."

"You bought it?"

"Yeah."

"But... how?"

"I went to the Realtor, I made an offer, the owners took it and then I wrote them a check."

She went back to staring, so he figured that he would have to explain things to her.

"When we went in that house, Scully, I could see you planning where you would put furniture. You loved the green in that one bedroom for the baby, I saw you looking online for swing sets for the backyard. You want that house and you know it. So I bought it."

"But where did you come up with the money? I've paid the bills, I know what kind of cash we have on hand, and it's not enough for a house."

"Scully, I am the only grandchild of two sets of very wealthy and generous grandparents. I went to Oxford on their collective dimes. I don't actually have to work another day in my life."

"Why haven't you ever shared this with me?"

"Because. It's not money that I ever really use. In fact, I've only dipped into it one other time."

"When was that?" she asked, not really knowing how to deal with this piece of information.

"Getting to Antarctica was not cheap."

She just nodded and slumped back in her chair.

"Okay, I thought you might be a little more excited about this. Do you not want the house? Because there's a three day cooling off period in which I can go back on the contract without repercussions."

"No! I want the house. I do. I just... can't believe you bought a house."

"Well, I did."

"So we're moving."

"Yep."

"I can't do that. I'm six months pregnant. I can't lift boxes. I can't pack them either. Mulder, I can barely tie my shoes! I can't move!"

"Relax. I've already gotten the Gunmen to agree to help us. They're at the house right now installing a security system. They're going to help us get everything moved and put where it goes. All you have to do is make sure there's enough iced tea and lemonade to sustain us."

"So this is why you've avoiding putting the crib together."

"Yep."

She began to laugh, and she covered her mouth.

"I can't believe you did this," she said.

"Me neither. But I did. Come on, let's go to lunch."

She logged off her computer and stood up. He took her hand and led her out of the office through the stares of other agents. Her pregnancy was obvious now, although her abdomen did not protrude nearly as much as it could have. Once people had figured out what was going on, nearly the entire Hoover building had been abuzz. It wasn't until weeks later that they noticed both agents wearing wedding rings. Of course that had sent the gossip mill spinning. Skinner even had to intervene. He had sent his secretary around to the biggest gossips and had her feed them the real story, which wasn't as juicy as they things they had been cooking up. Since then, things had quieted down considerably, and Mulder and Scully were pretty much left alone.

They walked down the street to their favorite diner, and slid into the back booth.

"That backyard needs a little work. I thought you and your mom would like to plant some flowers or something."

"That would be nice."

"I want to put a basketball hoop in the driveway."

"You'd better check with the homeowners association," she teased. He grinned and reached across the table for her hand.

"Is this really okay, that I bought a house without you?"

"It's fine. It's not like I hadn't ever seen it before. But the next big decision you make, clue me in. I mean, don't name this kid without me, okay?"

"Alright."

"Besides, you saved me from the stress of making an offer and signing papers and all that dirty work."

"Well, I love you. One of the two of us has got to have their sanity intact."

"That's true."

"Man, I'm hungry. Do you know what you want?"

"I think so," she answered as the baby delivered a swift kick. "That was a big one," she muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

"Definitely lunch time," he chuckled as the waitress came over to take their order. A double cheeseburger for him, side salad and a sundae for her. Mulder just looked at her for a moment, amazed that she had decided to eat dessert for lunch.

"It's calcium and it's for the baby," she said. He rolled his eyes and smiled.

* * *

"Mulder, come here!" Scully hollered from the living room.

"Is something wrong?" he hollered back. He'd being working on case files all evening and was getting slightly cranky.

"Just come here!"

Sighing, he stood up and went into the living room. She was laying on the couch, her feet propped up on a pillow.

"What?"

"Watch."

She placed the remote control on her ever expanding belly and within a few seconds, it was almost catapulted off.

"Scully, you've been out of the lab too long if you're experimenting with our child."

She sighed and crossed her arms.

"Never mind then."

"What?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter, I guess."

He sighed and sat down on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry sweetie."

"You don't even know what you're sorry for."

"Honey, you were excited about the baby moving so much and I acted like it wasn't a big deal. And it is a big deal. Every milestone is a big deal. I'm sorry I brushed it off, honey."

"It's alright."

"Don't be mad. I'm just frustrated with all of this paperwork and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"I don't like fighting with you."

"That wasn't a fight, babe."

"It's as close as I ever want to come. And don't call me babe, that's what I call you."

"Seems like I'm not the only one who's testy tonight."

"I'm lugging a child around. My ankles are swollen. I have a right to be testy."

"I don't want to fight with you."

They stared at each other for a moment before she burst into giggles.

"You're such a jerk."

He leaned down and kissed her for a long moment before standing up and heading to the kitchen.

"Give me another hour with this paperwork and then I'm all yours."

He pretended not to hear her snort of amusement.


	6. The Big Move Pt 1

A/N: I wish I could update this every stinking day, but I really have about zero motivation sometimes. Reviews would help. Just sayin'.

* * *

It was moving day. Scully woke up just after 6 and took a quick shower. She opted for the quicker messy ponytail hairdo over the perfectly curled under look that she had perfected. She'd been letting her hair grow out and it all went into an elastic band quite easily. She flipped off the light in the bathroom and ventured into the still-dark bedroom.

"Mulder," she said, sitting down on the side of the bed.

"Hmm?"

"Wake up."

"Why?"

"They guys are going to be here any minute."

He groaned and sat up.

"Can we move tomorrow?"

She just laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Mostly everything is over there anyway. There's just about one load of boxes, the bed and the couch. It won't take you more than a few hours."

"It's not the moving I'm dreading, it's the assembly."

"What?"

"Putting furniture together. The crib and stuff."

"You were the one who bought the house."

"Okay, that's true."

"Get up and I'll make you breakfast."

Not one to pass up the offer for food, he stood quickly and headed for the bathroom. She just smiled and went into the kitchen to see what she could whip up, sans most of her cookware.

Twenty minutes later she felt his arms slide around her slowly, his hands coming to rest on her stomach, where the baby kicked at the intrusion.

"You know," he whispered, his lips brushing her ear. "You're going to have to stop cooking for me all the time. You're going to make me fat."

Despite the shivers going down her spine from the contact, she managed to choke out an answer.

"I like cooking for you. Besides, I've been using mostly fat free stuff."

"Scully you jest," he said, pulling back a little. "Those burgers you made the other night were amazing. I could feel a heart attack coming on."

She started to giggle.

"What's so funny?"

Her giggles turned into chortles, which turned into laughs, which turned into hysterical guffaws. She was doubled over to the best of her ability, holding her stomach with one hand and grabbing onto Mulder's arm for support with the other.

"Have you been diagnosed?" he deadpanned.

This only cracked her up more and he could tell that her knees were going to give out soon due to the awkward position and weight distribution.

"Mulder..." she sputtered as he helped her down to the floor, laughing himself at their strange position. "Mulder, I totally-" another laugh overtook her. "I totally fed you a Gardenburger!"

He chuckled a little, but her confession didn't seem to ease the hilarity of the situation for her. She was flat on her back now, laughter tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Scully, you'd better be careful or you're going to squirt out that baby right here on the floor and we haven't even mopped yet."

"Mulder," she practically wheezed. "Don't make me laugh."

"Scully, it's not like I threw you in this pool. You jumped off the high dive on your own. All I'm doing is splashing you a little," he said with a smile. He loved seeing her like this. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had ever seen her under the influence of side splitting laughter.

Her glee finally died down and she looked up at him, her face flushed, her eyes sparkling, and her hair a mess. She was gorgeous. No, it was more than that. She was attractive on the outside, but what it really came down to was the person she was. Authentic beauty.

He smiled, then ran his fingers from her forehead, down her cheek and to her lips. His eyes drifted back up to hers and locked on them.

"Scully?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know how beautiful you are?"

She smiled and another wave of blushing hit her cheeks.

"You make it pretty obvious how you feel."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you," he murmured after a moment. "I don't ever want you to think that I don't."

"You keep kissing me like that and I don't think I'll ever question it."

Taking her suggestion, he captured her lips again, and slid his arm under her head to protect her from the hard linoleum. She giggled as the baby kicked fiercely, trying to stretch out in a confined space that was now getting smaller, due to its parents lying so close together.

They lay like that for several minutes. It didn't matter that they'd been married for over 4 months; the physical aspect of their relationship still came as a shock. Scully often caught herself thinking "He can actually kiss me now?" They had a relationship that was perfectly normal for a newly married couple, but it was still so young that sometimes his hand in hers almost left her with stars in her eyes. As sappy as it was, she couldn't imagine anything more romantic than what they had.

"Mulder," she said finally, breaking the kiss. "The guys are going to be here any minute."

"I know."

"The bacon is going to burn."

"Don't care."

"Mulder, we're making out on the kitchen floor."

He laughed at this and sat up slowly, running his hand over her stomach.

"That kid is not happy right now," he said, as his palm was met with a series of kicks that even Chuck Norris would envy.

"No, it's not."

They smiled together, just feeling the baby move for a while.

"Mulder, can you help me up? I don't think I can do it on my own."

He smiled and stood, then lifted her easily to her feet. She hugged him, letting her head rest on his chest for a moment.

"I love you Mulder. And I don't want you to ever think I don't either."

"I won't."

She smiled as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, then released her.

* * *

A/N II: I am such a prude, and no, I will not change those ways. ;)


	7. The Big Move Pt 2

A/N: Yay, another chapter! I like when they're cozy. It makes the world go 'round, don't ya know?

* * *

"Are you sure we have everything?" Mulder asked, as he and Scully stood in their now empty apartment. She sighed next to him, running her hand through her hair, which had fallen out of its elastic band a few hours before.

"Yeah, I'm sure. And everything is clean and ready for whoever moves in here next."

"Something wrong?" he asked, slipping his arm around her shoulders.

"No, it's just... so much happened here," she confessed, turning to look at him. "_We_ happened here."

He smiled and kissed her temple.

"Yeah, I guess we did."

They looked around the apartment for a while before she turned to him with a smile.

"Let's go home, Mulder."

He slid his hand into hers and they left the apartment quietly.

"Um, where are the cars?" she asked, surveying the parking lot.

"Your mom took yours to the house and the gunmen have mine. They thought that the tub needed to be recaulked, so they're picking up the stuff for that. It's only 3 blocks, I thought we could walk."

She nodded and took his hand. They strolled quietly for a while, their hands swinging between them.

"I bought a basketball hoop," he said. "I was going to get a free standing one, but it was a lot cheaper to get one that mounts onto the roof."

"Are you going to put it in the front?"

"I'm not sure yet. I figured you could make that decision."

"I see. Well, I'd prefer it in the backyard, but that slab of concrete needs to be refinished before you start playing on it. I don't need a new baby and a husband with a broken ankle."

"Duly noted. I'll see about getting that taken care of."

"Mulder, do you realize that we're going to have a baby in less than three months?"

"Yes, I do."

"And you know I wasn't joking about the crying and the spit-up and the diapers and the feedings and all the other unpleasant stuff that comes with taking care of a baby?"

"I know."

"And you still don't want to bail?"

"Scully, I'm only going to say this to you one more time. I married you, bought a house, changed my will, and stopped eating fried burritos for breakfast. I am NOT going to bail. Got it?"

"I know, I just..."

"You've had people bail on you before and now you feel like you have to question everyone's commitment to you, no matter what."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well knock it off."

She grinned a little and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

"Dana, don't lift that honey!" Maggie exclaimed, rushing over and taking a medium sized box from her daughter. Scully sighed and relinquished the box.

"It's just the baby clothes, mom. It doesn't weigh that much."

"But your doctor said 15 pounds is all you can lift."

"I could carry that box and a gallon of milk then."

"Dana, don't be difficult."

"I can't let everyone keep doing everything for me, mom."

"You have to accept help."

"It's not that, it's just..."

"What?"

"Let me do the things I _can_ do, okay. I promise I won't do anything that my doctor has advised against. I won't do anything that will harm the baby. But you guys making me sit with my feet up and do nothing but watch TV; _that_ is going make me insane."

"Alright, fine. I'll stop hovering."

"Baby and I appreciate it," she said with a smile. Maggie hugged her, then pulled back suddenly.

"You said there were baby clothes in there."

"Yeah."

"Baby boy clothes or baby girl clothes?"

"Gender neutral, mom. Just onesies mostly."

"You're really not going to find out?"

"We're really not."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. We don't need to know right now."

"I do."

"You do not. You'll find out when the little mango decides to make his or her appearance."

"Do you at least have names picked out?"

"We have a rough idea. But the names will not be shared until the baby is born either."

"Why not?"

"Because we want you to think that we hate you, of course."

Maggie just rolled her eyes and took the box to the baby's room.

"Fox, your wife is impossible," she muttered, passing Mulder in the hallway.

"I know," he shot back, going past her and heading for the kitchen. "Hey honey?"

"Yeah?"

He found her at the kitchen table, unpacking dishes.

"Skinner just called. He's on his way over to help put the crib together."

"Skinner is going to put a crib together?"

"Yeah. He just helped his niece put one together for her baby, so he figured he'd come over and give us a hand."

"Okay, sounds good."

"Are you doing alright?"

"My back hurts, but I'm okay."

"How's the baby?"

"Active. Apparently my bladder is just as much fun as a trampoline."

"Sorry about that. They guys almost have the bed put together, so you can go ahead and lay down if you need to," he offered, rubbing her shoulders. She reached up and patted his hand.

"No. I'll be alright. I just want to get everything done, or I won't sleep tonight."

"Okay. Then will you come and tell me where you want all the furniture in the baby's room?"

She nodded and he helped her from the chair, then pulled her into a hug.

"Do you know how beautiful you look right now?" he whispered.

"That's a good joke, honey. Hilarious."

"I'm not joking."

He leaned down and kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Mulder, sometimes I just don't understand you."

"It's probably safer that way, hon."

She laughed as he pulled her into the baby's room.

* * *

Eight hours, three pizzas, and 5 pitchers of iced-tea later, the house was in a presentable state. Skinner had only meant to stay for a little while, but had ended up moving bookcases and desks back and forth until Scully had decided that she liked them best where they had been to start with. He was now sitting in the recliner, staring at the ceiling and deciding that he probably needed to renew his gym membership. The gunmen had boundless energy it seemed, and trying to corral them had given Scully a glimpse into mothering preschoolers. They were sitting on the couch, debating every conspiracy under the sun, while Mulder and Skinner refereed the conversation. Maggie was sitting in the other arm chair, her feet tucked up under her and a smile on her face. She missed her sons, and her husband and Melissa, but being in this house with these people was almost like being with her family.

Scully was laying on the love seat, her head in Mulder's lap, and her eyes drifting closed. Her biggest battle with pregnancy was still fatigue, and she had done well today, but it was catching up with her. She listened to the conversation around her, heard the laughter from her friends, caught the knowing smiles from her mother, and felt Mulder's arm around her, his strong hand gently stroking her stomach and lulling their child to sleep. The contentment and peace she felt at that moment was unlike any she had experienced in her life. She was happy. She was home.

* * *

A/N: Next up... Scully is NOT going to be a happy camper. Stay tuned.


	8. Failing?

"You're messing with my mind," Scully accused. "He put you up to this and you're both going to get a big laugh about later."

Mulder and Dr. Mitchell just looked at each other.

"Honey, this isn't a joke," Mulder said finally.

"You're serious?" she asked, arching her eyebrow towards the doctor.

"Dana, with your blood pressure still so high and the baby measuring so small, the only thing I recommend is bed rest. When you add to that the baby dropping and turning so early, I would like that bed rest to be in the hospital where we can monitor you."

"Bed rest," she muttered, leaning back in her chair. "For how long?"

"If the baby starts to gain weight and your blood pressure improves, we would reevaluate the situation. But if nothing changes, I would like you to stay here until you deliver."

"That's over two months away."

"I know."

"When someone goes in for bed rest this early it's normally because they have 17 kids swimming around in there. I have one. That's all. There has to be something you're not telling me."

"I've told you everything. The baby's size concerns me because it was measuring bigger before. Now it's on the small side. You're having warning signs of pre-eclampsia, and I want to take this extra precaution. You may be out in a week. We're just going to have to see how it goes, but I want you to trust me on this. Okay?"

"We'll see how it goes," she grumped, crossing her arms.

"I also want to do an amniocentesis."

"Why?"

She'd been crossing her fingers that that word would not come up.

"Normally a doctor only does them if the mother is over 40, but like I said, I am taking every precaution with you. You can decide not to do the procedure if you want. It's up to you, but I recommend it."

"I'll think about it," she said finally.

"Okay."

"Good. Let me go and check with my secretary and see when we can get a room for you."

He gave her a small smile, then left the two of them alone.

"This isn't fair."

"Honey..."

"I can't sit in a bed for two months!"

"They're not going to restrain you."

"I thought everything was fine."

"It is fine. But he doesn't want anything to happen."

"I know."

"Look, even though the pregnancy has been pretty easy, there have been a lot of things that have happened these last 6 months that have been stressful. We got married, everything changed at work, you had that fight with your mom, Bill's not talking to you, and we just moved last weekend. I'm stressed and I'm not even having to worry about eating right and sleeping right and always having to pee. Just think of this as time to rest before the baby gets here, okay?"

"But Mulder, there's so much to do at home."

"Like what? The baby's room is ready. The car seat is set up. What else do we need?"

"I was going to make dinners and freeze them so I wouldn't have to cook for those first few weeks. And what are you going to eat while I'm stuck in here?"

"I fed myself just fine for years. I'll be okay. And your mom can help out too. This is not the end of the world, hon. It's just a little bump in the road."

"How are you so calm about this?"

"I have to be. You're freaking out."

"Mulder, I can't be on bed rest. What am I going to do all day?"

"You're going to relax for the first time since you joined the FBI. You're going to wear pajamas and watch soap operas and read all the books that are on your nightstand that you never touch. You can even read "What To Expect When You're Expecting," even though you're almost done expecting. You can knit a baby blanket. Maybe I'll bring over some old files for you to update. There's going to be some new people in that office soon, and heaven knows I'm not the guy to sit down and organize things for them."

"You'll be here every day?"

"I'll stay overnight if they let me."

"You'll find me some deep-fried pickles?"

"I don't know why you want that, but the search continues."

"You'll humor me and let me have my own way all the time?"

"Not even close."

"Okay, I'll do it," she said with a sigh.

"This is what's best for the baby, you know."

"I know. I just... I feel like I'm failing. I mean, this is the most natural, common thing in the world, having a baby. And even though women have been doing it since the beginning of time, I still can't get it right."

"You've done everything right. But these are things that can't be controlled. But at least this way, you won't have all those nagging worries before you fall asleep. You'll have monitors close at hand. And they'll probably do ultrasounds to measure the baby more often, and you love ultrasounds."

"Yeah, I do."

"This may be inconvenient, but in the end, it's going to be the best for the baby, and that's the most important thing, right?"

"Yeah."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"We'll do this together, just like we do everything. Okay?"

"Mulder, how do you talk me down when I get all nuts like this?"

"Years of watching you do it to me, of course."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so maybe her doctor is a worry wart, but I know some doctors threaten to deliver a month early when blood pressure is high. I can see Scully picking an overly-cautious doctor before picking an inattentive one anyway. Plus, once women hit their late 30's, early 40's some risks increase. Excuse any mistakes, I wrote this and read through it once.


	9. Their First Date

A/N: Yep, we're getting close to the big day! Only a few more chapters (or maybe just this one) before we meet little Mulder-Scully Jr. or Jr-ette. Let me know if there is anything you would like to see in the next few chapters.

* * *

"Mulder, I'm so bored. Like out of my mind, would rather be bleaching the grout, I've been watching soap operas kind of bored."

It had been the first time that she had complained since being admitted to the hospital two weeks before. He was so proud of her for dealing with the situation like this. She was as much of a get up and go type person as he was, but she seemed to be taking it all in stride. He didn't want her to be bored, or to feel neglected and forgotten. As her husband, it was his duty to cheer her up.

He put his plan into action the next night. He came by her room at 5:30, right after work. She grinned practically from ear to ear when she saw him.

"Hi," she greeted as he leaned down to kiss her. "You're here early."

"Yeah, traffic was light. Want to go for a walk?"

She was allowed one walk a day, and she always waited for Mulder's visit to take it.

"Sure."

He helped her to put her shoes on, then took her hand and led her down the hallway towards the elevator.

"It's nice out today. I thought we could go down to that pond."

She nodded her agreement as they stepped into the elevator.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. My back aches though."

He pulled her close and tucked her up under his chin, then rubbed her stomach.

"How's the Twinkie?"

"Active."

"As usual."

"Yeah, and your child has graduated from kicking and punching to doing somersaults. Constantly."

"How much room does this kid have in there anyway?"

"You'd think not a lot, but apparently every child finds a way to disturb its mother like this."

"Is that right?"

"Mom was here earlier. She said that all four of us moved a lot but I was the worst."

"I'm glad you can't blame this active child on me."

"I still can. Your mom said that your nocturnal movements rendered her sleepless for the last month before you were born."

He rolled his eyes and took her hand as they stepped off the elevator and out into the hospital's courtyard.

"I'm glad that you and my mom are getting along so well, but I really didn't want you to bond like this."

"Like what?"

"Calling each other all the time."

"Mulder, she's far away. I don't want her to feel left out of this. Unless we get really, really lucky, this will be her only grandchild ever. I want her to be as clued in and involved as my mom is. That alright with you?"

"It's fine with me, Scully. Just, when she starts telling you embarrassing stories about me, kindly try and forget them."

"I will try, but I will probably fail."

"I guess that's the best I can ask for."

They strolled quietly for a while before settling down on a small bench next to the pond. She sighed softly and leaned against him.

"I'm going to miss this."

"Miss what, honey?"

"The quiet. Having you all to myself. You know, once this baby is born, it's never going to be just the two of us again."

"Yeah, I know. But it's a change I don't mind making. Besides, the older the kid gets, the easier it will be to send them to your moms for the evening."

"I like the way you think."

"I knew you only married me for my mind."

* * *

Half an hour later, they were headed back to her room.

"So what do you think the cafeteria has cooked up for dinner tonight?" he asked. She scoffed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Whatever it is, it won't be good."

"Oh come on. Their spaghetti the other night was okay. You said so yourself."

"That was because it was the only thing I have recognized in 2 weeks."

He chuckled and led her into the room. The shades were drawn and the overhead light had been dimmed.

"What in the world..."

Her eyes drifted over the room and landed on the little table in the corner. It was covered in a nice table cloth, and lit with two fake candles. There was a plate for each of them, heaped with steaming food.

"Mulder, did you do this?" she asked finally.

"Me? I couldn't have. I was with you."

"Mulder..."

"Just enjoy it, honey. You deserve it."

He pulled her chair out for her, then sat down himself, pouring them each a glass of water.

"What's all this for, Mulder?"

"It's our first date."

The look of puzzlement on her face delighted him.

"We've never been on a proper date. I do not bypass the wooing stage of a relationship, my dear. That's the easy way out. I'm going to woo you like you've never been wooed before."

"How would you know how I've been wooed before?"

"I know that if it would have been done the right way in the past, you would not be sitting here with me right now."

She grinned and shook her head.

"You sure are something else."

He smiled.

"We should eat before the food gets cold."

She nodded and picked up her fork.

"Mulder, how did you think of this?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've always surprised me with stuff like this. Thoughtful things. Most men couldn't figure out how to buy a nice card, but you always know exactly what I need. And you always go all out. How do you do that?"

"I just do. Maybe it's because I can practically read your mind or maybe it's because I love you more than any man has probably ever loved a woman. Or maybe I'm just lucky."

"I think I'm the lucky one."

"We can both be lucky then."

"Okay, it's a deal."

* * *

Their dinner was nice and relaxing. She told him stories from her childhood that he had never heard before. He talked about England and his summer vacation in Greece. They lay in her bed, staring at the stars outside and laughing over some of their first cases together.

"The look on your face when you realized that the brother could detach himself was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. If we weren't dealing with murder, I would probably have wet my pants laughing."

"How about the look on your face when you realized you were about to play tonsil hockey with Eddie Van Blundht?"

"I was not going to play tonsil hockey with him."

"Then what were you going to do? Count his teeth?"

"He was initiating the whole thing, and I thought it was you anyway."

"So let's say I hadn't saved your life right then. Would you have let him kiss you?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Why not? Mulder, it was you. Back then, even though I didn't realize it, I really did love you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I had loved you for a while."

"Since when?"

She sighed, playing with his hand that was resting on her stomach.

"Since you held that gun to your head and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. I was so scared in that moment, Mulder. I thought I might lose you."

"But you didn't."

"No, but I still can't think about it without feeling sick."

"I'm sorry you have that memory," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "I'd take it away if I could."

"I know. But that memory, that event, it's part of what's made us what we are."

"I guess when you put it that way, I wouldn't change a thing."

She nodded her agreement, and they lay there quietly for a while.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said, shifting around on the bed. She rolled over slightly so she could see what he was doing. It took him a minute, but he finally wrestled a small box out of his pocket. "Guess what came today?"

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked, reaching out for the box.

"Yes, but let me open it for you."

She grinned and almost clapped her hands as he opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. It had been his grandmothers, and they had taken it to the jewelers a while back to have it restored and resized. It was an Old European cut diamond set in a dainty platinum band. The band was carved with orange blossoms, and she had loved the ring the minute she saw it. He took it out of the box and placed it on her finger.

"Does it fit?"

"It's perfect."

"Good."

She stared at the ring on her finger for a moment before looking up at him.

"I never thought all of this would happen."

"All of what?"

"This. Us, and the baby. Being happy and being in love. I never thought it would happen to me."

"You deserve to be happy and loved. I want to make sure you never lose that feeling."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him.

"I love you, Mulder."

"I love you too, Scully."

She couldn't help but giggle at their use of last names. Hearing "Scully" come out of his mouth was probably the most comforting thing in the world though, and while hearing "Dana" was nice at times too, her last name would always carry more meaning, coming from him.

He settled his arms around her and they got comfortable again.

"Are you going to stay tonight?" she asked hopefully, as sleep became a force to be reckoned with.

"Yeah. I might have to move to the cot later, but for now, I'm staying right here."

Smiling, she drifted off to sleep, letting the contentment seep into her soul.


	10. Welcome to the world, baby

A/N: This chapter is not going to be easy to write. Having never given birth, or been anywhere near a delivery room, my knowledge of labor and delivery is derived almost solely from "A Baby Story" on TLC. I will try my best though... poor Scully. Anyway, this is going to be a really long chapter... I've been working on it for around 3 hours now... that's a long time for me.

Anyone know why the line breaks are acting so freaky, and why this whole site is in 10 pt font? It's really driving me bananas.

* * *

10:32 a.m. July 24th, 2000

Mulder had just arrived in Skinner's office for a meeting when his cell phone rang. Under normal circumstances, Skinner would have given him a disapproving look, but Scully being in the hospital changed things considerably.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's me," she said, her voice quavering. "My water broke."

"What? Are you having contractions?"

"Yeah. Big ones, really close together."

"I'm leaving right now. I'll be there as soon as I can. I love you."

"I love you too."

He turned the phone off, then grabbed his suit jacket off the back of the chair.

"I gotta go. She's in labor."

"Want me to drive you?" Skinner offered, standing from his desk.

"No, I'll be okay."

"Alright. Keep me updated and let me know if you guys need anything."

"We will. Thanks."

* * *

11:04 a.m.

She was dozing when he entered the room. It was just like any other time he'd come into this room in the past month, except there was a fetal monitor keeping a close eye on their baby. She had one hand tucked under her cheek, and the other hand protectively over her stomach. He sat down next to her and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. Her eyes opened and she smiled a little.

"Hi."

"Hey. Go back to sleep. You need to rest."

She shook her head and gripped his hand.

"This can't happen today," she whispered. "It's too early."

"It'll be okay, honey. It's only 3 weeks early. That's not too much."

"But the baby is so small."

"I know. Everything is going to be okay. The doctors know what they're doing and we've been doing enough reading on preemies that we know what to expect. You just concentrate on saving your energy. You've got a hard job ahead of you."

"No kidding."

"Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Did you call my mom?"

"Yeah, she's on her way."

"And your mom?"

"She's trying to get a flight right now."

"But she'll be here?"

"Yeah, she'll be here."

They smiled together and he kissed her forehead.

"We're going to have a baby."

"Yeah, we are."

She smiled then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Contraction?" he asked once she had opened her eyes again. She nodded.

"They're not so bad yet."

* * *

4:27 p.m.

"Four centimeters?" Scully almost shrieked. "That's it? These contractions are about as effective as handcuffs on an escape artist."

"I know it's frustrating," Dr. Hahn said, making a note on the chart. "But no matter how long this takes, this will eventually be over."

"You're so encouraging," Scully grumped. She had known Shannon Hahn since med school, and felt that if she was going to take her discomfort out on someone, Shannon could handle it.

"I do my best. Are you sure you don't want Pitocin? It will speed things up."

"This baby will come when it's good and ready."

"Then do you want an epidural?"

"I'll think about it."

Shannon nodded and headed out of the room.

"Hon, you'll probably be much more comfortable with an epidural. Maybe you'll be able to get some sleep."

"No, I want to do this on my own."

"It would be on your own, honey."

"I know that. I just..."

She sighed and looked down at her hands.

"I want to experience all of it. This isn't going to happen again."

"It might. You never know."

"That's true. Let me just think about it for a while."

"Okay. You know I trust your judgment, right? I'll support whatever decision you make."

"Thanks. I knew you would."

He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear as another contraction came. She closed her eyes and _hmmm'ed_ until it passed.

"Bad one?"

"Yeah."

"I have to say, I'm glad you're not one of those women they show on the Discovery Channel that scream and threaten to kill their husbands."

"Seems like a waste of energy."

"That's my girl."

He reached over and rubbed her back gently and she closed her eyes again.

"I'm so tired," she mumbled.

"I know. Just rest while you can, honey."

* * *

1:47 a.m. July 25th, 2000

"Dana, are you sure about the epidural?"

"Get it now. I can't take this anymore."

"Alright, just let go of me so I can go find your doctor."

"You can't leave!"

"Sweetheart-"

"You can't leave me," she repeated.

"Well then how am I supposed to get a nurse?"

"I don't know," she whimpered, swiping a hand across her forehead.

"I'll just use your call button, okay?"

She nodded and he pressed the button.

"Is there anything I can get for you while we wait?"

She chuckled a little.

"You sound like...a... I can't even think of the word right now."

"Oh honey, you really need drugs."

The words had barely escaped his mouth before none other than Bill Scully Jr. sauntered into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Scully snapped, almost lunging at him from the bed. Mulder gently held her back.

"Mom called. I caught the red-eye. How are you feeling?" he asked, as if their last conversation had been pleasant.

"I feel like throwing something heavy at you."

"Not so good then, huh?"

"What are you really doing here, Bill? Have you come to tell me how stupid I am?"

"My little sister is having a baby. I want to meet my niece or nephew. That's why I'm here."

"Well... go home."

"Dana-"

"I don't want you here, Bill. I'm in pain and you're just stressing me out. Leave. Don't come back."

"You put her up to this," Bill accused, turning to Mulder. "You talked her into having your baby and marrying you and now she acts like she doesn't want her family around."

"Bill, do you really think anyone could talk your sister into anything? I mean, really, think about it."

"You have some kind of control over her that I just don't understand. I-"

Dr. Mitchell walked into the room at that moment, cutting the conversation short.

"Hi Dana. Want that epidural now?"

"Yes, please."

"I'll get it ordered and the anesthesiologist will be here shortly."

"You're my hero."

He smiled and turned to Bill.

"We should probably clear out the room for this. Why don't you have a seat in the waiting room down the hall?"

Not being able to argue, Bill turned and left the room.

"Honey, if I say that I'm in love with Dr. Mitchell, would that freak you out?"

"Nah, I think I'm in love with him at this moment too."

* * *

6:12 a.m.

Scully sat in bed, watching the sun come up. The epidural was starting to wear off, but she wasn't in too much pain yet. She was dilated to 6 centimeters, which wasn't much of an improvement, but it was over halfway. The baby's heart rate was still good, but the stubborn streak was rapidly increasing. He or she was not keen on making their appearance anytime soon.

Mulder sat in a chair next to the bed, his head resting on the mattress next to her arm. He was snoring softly, and if she closed her eyes, she could imagine that they were at home right now. She ran and hand through his hair and envied his slumber. She'd gotten around 10 minutes of sleep in the last 24 hours. She was just plain uncomfortable.

She felt the baby stir slightly and she waited to see if sleep would come again. It didn't. She smiled and moved her gown aside so she could see her stomach better. She could see the outline of a foot and she traced it gently, still hardly believing that a real, fully developed baby was in there.

Mulder sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes against the increasing light from the window.

"Morning," Scully smiled. He smiled back and reached over to rub her stomach.

"Morning. Did you sleep at all?"

"No, not really. I closed my eyes, and that seems to be enough. I feel a little better."

"Good. Have you thought about names anymore?"

She sighed.

"I still like Claire for a girl, but like you said, Claire Samantha Mulder would make her initials CSM, which puts me off the name almost entirely. I also like Elizabeth, but that's quite the long name for a little girl. And I like Haley and Callie and Olivia, but you don't like any of those."

"You said you kind of liked Violet."

"For a middle name. But her middle name is Samantha, and I'm not going to change that."

"What about Grace?"

"I like it, but again, middle name."

"You liked Maisy at some point too."

"Maisy Mulder? Sounds like a stripper."

"What about Paige?"

"I don't know."

"Scully, that's the only one we could both agree that we could tolerate."

"This is hard."

"What was Melissa's middle name?"

"Jean."

"What's your mom's middle name?"

"Leeann."

"That's pretty."

"It is kind of nice. Okay add that to the tiny list of names."

"What about boys?"

"Mulder, I have no idea. We haven't even decided if we want to use William for a first name or a middle name."

"We're going to have to figure this out eventually."

"I like Levi still. That's my favorite."

"What else do you like?"

"Tyson. Garrett. Phineas."

"Phineas? Really?"

"We could call him Finn. It would be cute."

"Boys aren't cute, honey."

"Yes they are."

"I just want our child, boy or girl to have a name that can't be turned into a playground insult."

"Mulder."

"I heard 'Fox, Fox, dumb as an ox' one too many times in my younger years."

"I got teased for my name too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Dana was more of a boys name when I was younger. And Charlie calling me Danny didn't really help my image."

He chuckled.

"So what do you like for a boy?" she asked as he traced the lines on her palm.

"Asher."

"That could so easily be turned into Ashley."

"Well I like it for a middle name. It means happy. I like that."

She thought about it for a moment.

"It's okay. Let's see if it grows on me."

"That's all I ask," he replied, standing up. "I need to use the bathroom."

"Thanks for that announcement," she retorted.

* * *

12:32 p.m.

"Vacate!" Scully exclaimed, poking her stomach. "Get out of me, kid. You've overstayed your welcome."

"I think it's time for a visit from the Epidural Guy," Mulder remarked, earning a small chuckle from Maggie.

"Oh shut up," Scully answered, her teeth clenched. "I haven't figured out how yet, but this is your fault."

"Is that right? Get back to me when you've fully developed that theory."

She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"If I'm not fully dilated by now, get me a trampoline so I can jiggle this kid out."

"Honey..."

"Don't honey me."

Maggie quietly slipped from the room.

"Dana, you need to take a deep breath and settle down."

"Take a deep breath? That's your encouragement? You're terrible at this. I don't even know why I asked you to do this with me in the first place."

"Scully-"

"You know, you're really starting to drive me nuts. Why don't you just go home for a while?"

He sighed and stood up.

"Alright. Call me when you need me."

He headed for the door.

"Don't leave!" she shouted. He turned back and looked at her. He had never seen a more forlorn expression on her face.

"I'm not leaving, Scully. I was going to go see about getting you another epidural. Shannon is just down the hall. I'll be back in a minute."

She sighed and nodded, and true to his word, he was back in a matter of seconds.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she confessed. He smiled and took her hand.

"You're uncomfortable and tired right now. I would be yelling at me too. If you need to yell to feel better, then go for it. More power to you."

"I love you, you know. I wouldn't change this at all."

"I know that, honey. I wouldn't change it either."

* * *

7:23 p.m.

"I can't do this anymore, Mulder," she whimpered. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah you can."

"No. I'm too tired."

"It's too late to do anything else right now honey. Just a little longer, okay?"

"Just one or two more pushes, Dana," Shannon said. "That's all we need."

"I can't."

Mulder pressed his forehead to hers and looked into her eyes.

"Babe, you're the only one who can do this."

"I'm so tired."

"I know that, honey. But you can't quit now. Just like you couldn't quit when we were in Antarctica and we had to walk so far and you were delirious and cold, you still had to do it. And you did do it, honey. And you can do this now. You're doing such a good job, just a little more."

His pep talk seemed to revive her a bit and she nodded.

"Okay. I can do it."

"Are you ready, Dana?"

"I think so."

"Alright, here comes the next contraction."

The room grew quiet and Scully didn't even make a sound as she pushed.

"Dana, just a little more and you'll have your baby, okay? Just one more good push like that."

"You can do this, honey."

The room was quiet again.

"Okay Dana, don't push anymore."

There was quiet chatter from the nurses as they handed Shannon some blue rubber thing that Mulder couldn't identify, and a receiving blanket.

"It's a boy!" she announced finally.

Scully struggled to sit up and see her son as the new baby let out a strong wail. They handed the baby to her and she couldn't even cry she was so exhausted. She just stared and stared at him, and Mulder reached over and used the blanket to wipe his son's face.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said softly, tracing the baby's face with her hand. "Mulder, he has your lips."

Mulder chuckled and sat down next to her on the bed.

"Look how big his hands are," he commented, as the baby grabbed onto his finger. "And he has your blue eyes."

"They might turn hazel like yours later."

"Dad, you want to cut the cord?"

Mulder looked up at the nurse. It wasn't the suggestion that he cut the cord, but the word 'dad' directed at him that gave him pause. He smiled and nodded as she handed him the scissors, which were the strangest looking scissors he had ever seen, then cut the cord where she indicated.

"Mulder, he really looks just like you," Scully commented, once his attention was turned back to them.

"Maybe a little, but I see a lot of you in him too. You did good, honey."

"Thank you. You did too. You didn't even pass out."

"That's because I didn't look to see what was going on down there."

She smiled and kissed the baby's cheek.

"He's perfect," she whispered, more to the baby than to Mulder.

"Dana, we're going to take him from you for a minute-"

"No."

"We just need to clean him up and get his measurements and then we'll give him right back, I promise. I'm not going to take him far."

She reluctantly handed the baby over, then lay back against the bed.

"Mulder, will you go with him?"

"I can see him, he's only a few feet away."

"Okay."

He brushed her hair back from her face and leaned down to kiss her.

"I'm so proud of you, honey."

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

"Six pounds, seven ounces, nineteen and a half inches long," Shannon announced, handing the baby back to Scully. "What are you going to call him?"

"We're not sure yet."

"Well let us know when you pick something so we can get his birth certificate all written up. Congratulations guys. He's beautiful."

"Thank you Shannon."

After a few moments, most of the nurses had left, save for a few who were cleaning up the room.

"Do you want me to go get your mom?"

Scully shook her head.

"No, I'm not ready to share him yet."

"Even with me?"

"Of course I can share him with you," she said with a smile. "You need to hold him, Mulder."

He smiled and took their son from her, being careful to support his tiny head.

"Hi buddy," he greeted, as the baby yawned. "We're going to have to name you soon."

"Let's call him William."

"Are you sure? I thought you wanted that for a middle name."

"Yeah, but he looks like a William, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does. William it is."

William let out a big yawn and closed his eyes.

"I guess that's enough excitement for one day."

"Yeah, being born is hard work."

Mulder chuckled and looked down at Scully. She hadn't slept in 36 hours. Her hair was a mess. She didn't have make-up on. She had red rimmed, watery eyes. But she was beautiful.

"We have a baby," she whispered.

"Yeah, we do. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

She nodded and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I just want to sit here and watch him sleep, but I'm so tired."

"Go ahead and go to sleep, at least for a little while. They're going to have to move you back into a recovery room soon, so take a cat nap while you can."

"I love you, Mulder."

"I love you too."

Their eyes met and she suddenly felt like her heart was going to explode in her chest. She thought that the love she had for Mulder was as deep as it could be. But now sitting here with him, their baby in his arms, she knew that that loved had just scratched the surface. She'd never loved like this before. The thought brought tears to her eyes, and she let them roll freely down her cheeks. Mulder leaned over and kissed them away.

"Go to sleep, honey. We'll be right here when you wake up."

She smiled. That little promise was all she had ever wanted.

* * *

A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHH! I am soooo glad I'm done with this chapter! It seriously took me forever. I am never writing a labor and delivery chapter again, for as long as I live. Julia, thank you for making me laugh about ice-chips and doing the splits on a crate of dynamite as I was struggling through this. I will buy you a cleaned up and salon-ed Langley for your birthday, okay?


	11. Meeting the Family

A/N: I'm uh... not exactly sure when I'm going to finish this... it might just be one that I post on every once in a while. Oh yeah, I can't believe that no one got that William was born on July 25th. Maybe I'm just anal like that though... I wrote this chapter (by hand) while babysitting today. The Wii is excellent for such things.

* * *

Scully dozed slightly as they moved her from the delivery room to a more private suite, but once the bed stopped rolling, she opened her eyes and looked around.

"Mulder?"

"Hi mommy," he replied. He was sitting in a chair next to the window, holding William. The sight almost stopped her heart.

"Hi. I didn't mean to sleep so long."

"It was only about 20 minutes."

"That's 20 minutes of his life that I missed."

"Scully..."

She just smiled as he stood up and brought William to her.

"The grandmas are itching to get in here. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, but just the two of them. I can't handle Bill right now."

"I'll be right back then."

She sat back against the bed and stroked William's hair. He may have had her eye color, but his eyes were shaped like his father's. His lips were almost pursed as he slept, and they looked almost like a small bunch of velvet. She was still surprised that he had weighed much over 5 pounds, for as small as the doctor had estimated him to be. Three weeks early, a good weight, and no health problems to speak of. She couldn't have asked for more.

She stroked his cheek gently and kissed his forehead. She was still almost in disbelief that he had come to be, much less that he was finally here. She smiled as she took in his features. He had Mulder's ears and long fingers. He had her coloring and (hopefully) her nose, but he still looked more like Mulder. A small patch of darker brown hair ran down the middle of his head, separating the lighter hair that he seemed to have an abundance of. She could already see the baby Mohawks that Mulder would inevitably give him. She shifted him slightly and he let out a squawk.

"I'm sorry sweet boy," she said, bouncing him gently. The nurses had swaddled him tightly and that coupled with the slight motion seemed to calm him. He started up at her, his eyes wide.

"Hi handsome. I'm sorry I was so tired before. You really wore me out. I've been waiting for you for so long, William. I can't believe you're really here."

Her voice calmed him further and he drifted to sleep just as Mulder poked his head back into the room.

"Ready hon?"

"Yeah, send them in.

Maggie and Teena entered quietly, the former of the two marching right towards her daughter and grandson.

"Dana, he's beautiful."

"Yeah, I think we'll keep him."

Teena peered down at him and smiled.

"He looks like Fox," she said with a chuckle. "It's uncanny."

"Mom, don't say that. You'll give the kid a complex," Mulder said.

"Hush," all three women chorused. Mulder just rolled his eyes and sat down.

"Teena, would you like to hold him?"

"I would love to, Dana."

They transferred the baby easily and Teena sat down next to her son.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Maggie asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Tired. I would love to go for a walk, but I don't think I can move."

"Did you have an epidural in time?"

"Yeah. I barely felt anything, but what I did feel was not pleasant. I don't think I could have done it without drugs."

"You said you couldn't have done it without me," Mulder retorted.

"Well, either way," she answered, clearly too tired to think of a response that even carried a hint of wit.

"Have you decided on a middle name yet?"

"No, we're still debating."

"He's got a first name, I suppose that's the important part. And since you ordered Bill out of your room, he's pretty sure the name was not chosen in his honor."

Scully giggled. To be honest, she had been worried that Bill would tell people that his nephew was named after him.

"Maggie, would you like to take him now?" Teena asked.

"Yes, but you keep him for a bit longer. Until you're able to move down here, you should spend time with him when you can."

"Mom, are you going to move here?" Mulder asked, a quirk of a smile at his lips. He and his mom had been getting along so much better since she learned that she was going to be a grandma.

"I'm thinking about it."

"I'll help you sell the house and find something you like here. I'm good at house hunting," Mulder offered.

"Yeah and house buying too," Scully commented.

Mulder just smiled.

"We'd love to have you closer, Mom. Boston is so far away, and you don't want to miss all of William's milestones, do you?"

She smiled and looked down at the baby in her arms. His sweet little face sealed her decision.

"I guess I'm moving, Sir William."

* * *

It was just after nine when Skinner knocked softly on the door.

"Can I come in?" he asked, peeking into the room.

"Sure," Scully answered. He stepped inside, a small bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Hey Skinner," Mulder greeted. "We were hoping you'd make it tonight."

"I would have been here earlier, but I got stuck at the office. Then I thought about waiting until tomorrow, but I know that both of you are night owls and nine isn't that late anyway."

"We appreciate you coming."

"How are you feeling?"

Scully chuckled, wondering how many times she had answered that question.

"I'm on the verge of exhaustion."

"Get used to it."

"Would you like to hold him?" Mulder asked.

"You mean be the first person at the FBI to see the child of Agents Mulder and Scully? That's not an offer I would pass up."

He took the baby carefully, supporting his head and looking like he had done this hundreds of times before. William looked so small in Skinner's arms that Scully almost laughed.

"He seems to be a pretty good sleeper. Has he given you any trouble yet?"

"No, he hasn't really cried at all. But my mother says that a content baby is usually the sign of a baby with a big set of lungs."

"I suppose she's speaking from experience," he chuckled, giving her a pointed look.

"That's what she claims, but I refuse to admit that I was anything but a perfect angel."

"Yeah right," Mulder scoffed. Scully rolled her eyes.

"Well your perfect angel is cooking up a nice treat for you in his britches," Skinner announced. Scully laughed and rubbed her hands together.

"I've been waiting for this. Mulder, it's your time to shine. You promised me diapers."

He sighed and took William from a very amused Skinner.

"Buddy, I hope you know that this is a defining moment in our relationship. Do not pee on me," he warned, taking a now awake and alert William to the other side of the room to change him.

Skinner sat down in the chair next to Scully's bed.

"I think this is the first time I have visited you in the hospital for something good."

"Probably."

"I need to talk to you about your maternity leave-"

"Scully, is this supposed to resemble tar?" Mulder asked.

"Yes Mulder."

"Gross."

"Anyway, you said you were only going to take a few months off and then come back to work full-time. I managed to get you the option of coming back part time at first if you want it."

"Honey, please tell me that diapers like this do no occur every time."

"They only happen once," she answered, biting back a chuckle.

By now William was wailing and from the look on Mulder's face, he wasn't feeling much better about the whole situation.

"Scully, I don't think I can do this."

"You have to. Don't worry about his crying. He's fine."

"Do you want me to give him a hand?" Skinner asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You know how to change a diaper?"

"I have seven younger siblings."

"Then yes, by all means, help him."

He nodded and joined Mulder on the other side of the room. The two men held a whispered conversation, of which Scully only heard "too many wipes," and "face it, you're gonna get peed on at some point." Eventually they finished, and a clean, swaddled and still-wailing William was brought back to her. She held him close and rocked him gently until he stopped crying and gave into his heavy lids.

"Kim wanted me to get a full name so she could update your personnel files," Skinner said finally.

"We don't have a middle name picked out yet."

"Because you can't agree," he deduced with a grin.

"Gee, how'd you know?"

"What are the options?"

"He likes Asher, which I really like, but I don't like that it has the same ending as Mulder."

"And she likes Levi because it means joined in harmony, but I think William Levi sounds incomplete."

"Then use both," Skinner suggested, as if it was the most simple thing in the world. "Two middle names will be the first of many compromises."

"William Asher Levi Mulder," Scully said, just to see how it all sounded together.

"It's a little long, but I like it," Mulder said with a slight nod.

"I guess you can pass that along to Kim then."

"I will. Is there anything I can do for you guys?"

"No, I think we're okay. But thanks."

"I'm going to head out now, but give me a call if you need a hand with anything."

"We will. And we'll discuss my maternity leave later."

He nodded and left the room. Mulder looked over at Scully and smiled.

"And we used to think he was a jerk."

"He's probably the closest thing to a grandfather William will ever have," Scully mused. "Although he's kind of young to be a grandfather, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I have a feeling he's going to be around a lot."

"I don't mind that."

There was a silence as they looked down at their son.

"Well honey, what do you think? Time for bed?"

"I think so. I'm not sure when William's going to be hungry again though."

"I'm sure he'll let us know."

She handed the baby over before kissing his forehead, then settled into the covers.

"Warm enough?" he asked, once he had placed William in the bassinet.

"Yeah, for now."

He turned the room lights off, then lay down next to her, forgoing the cot that the nurses had brought for him. She sighed contentedly and cuddled up next to him.

"Hey, there's no baby bump to contend with now," she remarked.

"Yeah, I'm not getting kicked in the ribs."

She smiled and slid her arm around his waist.

"I've missed this," she said on a yawn.

"Me too. That house is really lonely without you, and a king sized bed is just overkill for only one person."

"Well I can guarantee I won't be spending a night away from it ever again."

"Good. Me neither. Go to sleep, honey."

"Hey," she whispered. He looked down at her and she pulled him closer, kissing him long and deep. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dana."


	12. Monkey Uncles

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Julia because why not, right? Also she sends me good reviews. And helps me work through brain freezes. And gets my Gilmore girls jokes. And makes me laugh. Also it's dedicated to my nephew who I haven't seen in EIGHT WHOLE DAYS and I miss him like crazy. He is my inspiration for William. Sorry for the sappy ending...

* * *

Scully and William were discharged at 10 o'clock the next morning, both with a clean bill of health. Scully was surprised that the doctors let her leave, primarily because she was so used to being confined to the hospital. She felt paroled.

After a twenty minute fight with and about the car seat, and ten minutes of trying to calm a screaming William (who apparently had a deathly fear of said car seat), they were on their way home.

"I told everyone that they could come around seven for dinner. I thought you might like the majority of the day to get settled in," Mulder said as he stopped slowly for a light.

Scully smiled and reached for his hand.

"Thanks. I needed that, but I felt bad asking for it."

"Why?"

"Because. I guess we've just been kind of closed off to everyone. I didn't even let my mom in the room during delivery. If I was on the other side of the situation I would feel left out."

"Well, maybe, but I think they understand."

"I hope so."

They drove on in companionable silence, with the occasional baby noises from William.

When they arrived home, Mulder pulled the car into the garage and went around the side to get his son.

"Hey buddy, you're home."

William obviously didn't care, as he had fallen back to sleep. Mulder just shrugged and unlatched the baby carrier from the car seat base (which was a much easier task than putting it in had been). He then helped Scully from the car as she was still a little unsteady on her feet.

"It's probably going to be hot in the house, but give me 10 minutes and I'll get the air conditioner going."

She nodded as he unlocked the door and they stepped inside. Scully had been expecting the house to look much like his apartment had, but it was immaculate. Nothing was out of place or even dusty. There was just one tiny problem.

The Gunmen were there.

"Langley, I don't understand why you haven't gotten this system working yet. Are you a complete boob?" Frohike was saying, as he stood in the middle of the living room. Langley's staticky voice shot back a terse reply, which Scully could hardly make out. She and Mulder just stood there, taking the scene in until Byers noticed them.

"Oh, hi guys," he almost stuttered, looking around nervously. "We uh... we wanted to be gone by the time you got home. We don't want you to have to be hosts or anything. We'll be going."

Scully chuckled.

"You guys can stay. What are you doing here anyway?"

"We didn't know what to get for the little guy, so we decided to baby proof the house."

Scully looked at him, then at Mulder, then at Frohike, then at Byers again.

"You guys realize that he's not going to be mobile for quite a while, right?"

"We just wanted to get a jump on things," Frohike said, shrugging slightly.

"Well... carry on," she said finally, walking to the couch and sitting down. Mulder brought William to her and she took him out of his seat. He scrunched up his little nose, then sighed a baby sigh and settled back into sleep. By this time, Langley had entered the living room, various wires in one hand and a screwdriver in the other.

"Dude, may I ask what improvements you're making on my house?" Mulder asked, sitting down next to Scully.

"Baby intercom."

"Excuse me?"

"It's much more reliable that those walkie-talkie pieces of garbage, plus, you can hear him all through the house. We're thinking about installing a video option. Would that be cool with you guys?"

Mulder lifted his eyebrows and looked at Scully, who was trying very hard not to laugh.

"No, that's okay. I think just a regular monitor will be fine."

Langley nodded.

"Just give me 10 more minutes and this thing will be crystal clear."

He practically skipped into the other room and Scully let out a little chuckle. The gunmen never failed to amuse her, even when they were at their most irritating.

Byers walked over and sat down on Scully's other side, reaching out and touching William's tiny hand.

"Geez, Mulder, this kid really looks like you."

"That seems to be the consensus," Scully chuckled. "Would you like to hold him?"

Byers nodded a little nervously.

"It's been probably 15 years since I've held a baby. Are you sure you trust me with him?"

"Of course," she smiled, situating William in Byers' arms. The sight of Byers with a baby almost sent her into laughter, but she held it back. "I just hope he doesn't spit up on you."

Byers looked up at her, but realized she was joking.

"Mulder how much time is Uncle Sam letting you take off work?" Frohike asked, sitting down in the chair, slightly peeved that he wasn't the first to hold William.

"Just a week."

"How 'bout you, Scully?"

"I can take up to 6 months off part time, but I'm still not sure I even want to go back."

"You don't?" Mulder asked. This was certainly news to him.

"I don't want to put him in daycare. I don't want to ask my mom to take him all day. I don't want to hire a nanny to raise my son either."

"So you're not coming back?"

"Maybe once he starts school I'll teach at the academy or something. But right now, no, I don't want to go back."

"And you're not going to go crazy being home all day? You're not going to feel oppressed?"

"I don't think so."

He nodded. He was almost certain she would have had at least a small desire to go back to work. It seemed that she actually despised the idea. That wasn't the Scully he knew, but this was the first time she had been a mother. He knew motherhood changed things; he just never realized how these things would affect him. It wasn't like she was abandoning him or the work, as he had already handed the X-Files over to Skinner completely. It would just be weird not to have her in the same building, or in the next office. Maybe the long hospital stay had been a great cosmic plan to get him used to working alone.

"Mulder? Is that okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just surprised. But I don't want anyone else raising him either."

They smiled together and he reached over and took her hand.

"Ug, is this what it's like to be friends with a married couple?" Frohike questioned, crossing his arms.

"No, this is what it's like to be friends with normal adults who don't pull pranks on their colleagues," Langley answered, coming out of the bedroom.

"I have a feeling there's a story behind this," Scully chuckled.

Langley reached back and freed his hair from the rubber band that it was in. It poofed out more than normal, and Mulder let out a loud laugh, which startled William.

"Old Frohike here thought it would be funny to give me a perm while I slept. He's lucky I had taken some muscle relaxers and was out cold, or he'd be sporting a shiner right now."

"I just figured that if your hair became more unmanageable, you might consider cutting it."

"Asking Langley to cut his hair is like asking you to stop wearing clothing that was road kill at some point in its life," Byers retorted.

"You're lucky you're holding that baby, or I'd come over there and kick your-"

"Hey, watch your mouth, there's young ears in the room," Mulder said. Frohike just sighed and sat back in the chair. Scully watched the whole thing with a smile. These three always reminded her of a low budget cartoon. They were almost completely unbelievable.

* * *

By the time Langley taught them how to use the intercom system, it was nearing one o'clock. The gunmen left, each of the three giving Mulder a handshake as they filed out the door, while William began to scream for his lunch.

"Scully, are you sure our son wasn't born with an amplifier attached to his mouth?"

"No joke," she muttered, standing from the couch.

"Why don't you go ahead and feed His Majesty, and I'll make lunch for us."

"Sounds good," she agreed, headed for the bedroom. "I won't be long."

He watched her go, then went into the kitchen to find something to eat. It didn't take long before he deduced that at least one of the grandmas had been grocery shopping for them. The fridge was completely stocked with fruits, vegetables, and iced tea. There was a big roasting pan, covered in foil, with a post-it note stuck to it.

_Fox,_

_Put this in the oven around five o'clock at 350 (make sure to take the foil off). It should be done in time for dinner at 7. There are potatoes and carrots in there with it, and I will bring some bread. Don't worry about dessert, Maggie is taking care of it. We'll see you guys tonight. Get some rest. _

_Love mom._

He grinned and peeled back the foil. Pot roast. His mother knew him better than he thought she did. Truth be told, he was looking forward to having his mother closer. Ever since he had told her that she was going to be a grandma, he hadn't seen her without a smile on her face. He felt like he had grown closer to her in the last six months than he had ever been in his life. They had even been able to talk about Samantha for a while. It was nice to have a mother again. Maggie had been a good substitute, but there really was nothing like the real thing.

He set to work chopping a salad and cooking some chicken for lunch. Scully would be proud of the culinary skills he had acquired while she was out of commission. He was a master of all things pasta, and was slowly learning the fine art of making a balanced meal. He never forgot a serving of vegetables anymore. Cooking seemed to relax him now, and he could let his mind wander.

A year ago, he and Scully hadn't even been getting along very well. Diana had still been in the picture, and even though his loyalties did not lie with the woman anymore, her existence had really grated on Scully's nerves. It wasn't to say that Diana's death had thrilled Scully- quite the contrary actually. Scully had been upset that Mulder had lost a friend, and further shaken by the fact that the Cigarette Smoking Man would so blatantly kill his best ally. Of course, they had no hard evidence to say that Tar Lungs had anything to do with the murder, but it didn't take much brain power to make that assumption. The act hadn't really shocked either one of them, but the disregard the man had for human life in general had further reinforced their collective hatred of him.

They'd come a long way in a year. Besides the obvious accomplishments, their communication skills had soared. Not that communication had ever been their weakest link, but it had left something to be desired. They could say anything now, they never had to weigh their words or hold anything back. They didn't evade questions, didn't mask emotions. Everything could be out in the open, without criticism or shame.

They had always depended on each other, but now it was more pronounced. Being in the hospital, she had relied on him for encouragement and support in a way she never had before. He relied on her for affirmation. When the days were long and they'd been apart for one too many hours, they looked solely to the other for a smile or a shared tear. When she suffered from morning sickness, he was the one to bring her crackers and flat 7-Up. When he became overwhelmed with trying to find new agents to take over the X-Files, she was there to talk things over with him and tell him it would be okay.

Being partners had probably been the best preparation for marriage that they could have had. Without those 7 years working side by side, and learning each other, their life together would not have been as rosy as it was right now.

He finished up with the salad and left the chicken to cool before heading into the bedroom. Scully was laying on her side, watching William, who was laying beside her. She was stroking the heel of his bare foot, the giggling as his tiny toes fanned out.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking his reflexes," she answered as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"And how is he doing?"

"Perfect, of course."

"Lunch is ready when you're ready."

"Okay, in just a minute."

He lay down opposite her, his large hand settling over William's small belly.

"Are you all set, buddy?"

William turned his head at the noise and Mulder smiled down at him.

"I swear, he's giving me the eyebrow."

"I taught him that when you weren't looking."

He rolled his eyes and she leaned down and kissed William's head.

"He smells good," she commented.

Mulder laughed and William wiggled his arms in response.

"What? He does. I could smell his head all day."

Mulder laughed again and Scully reached over to smack his arm.

"Why are you laughing at me?"

"Because it's the strangest thing I have ever heard you say."

"You smell his head and tell me that it doesn't smell good."

"I'm not smelling his head, Scully."

"Do it."

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, but obeyed her command.

"Well?"

"Alright, he smells good."

"And now you have learned the first lesson of parenting. The mom is always right."

"Always?"

"Always, grasshopper."

He nodded and looked down at William.

"Quick, do something that will prove her wrong. C'mon, buddy, we men have to stick together."

William just stared at him.

"I guess his loyalties lie with you as long as you're the main supplier of the grub."

"And that my friend is lesson number two."

He chuckled and scooted closer to her, his hand sliding around her waist.

"I love you, Dana. I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else."

"I know. I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else either."

Smiling, he leaned over and kissed her, lingering there for a while before pulling back.

"Can lunch wait a while? I'm really tired."

"It'll be fine. Go to sleep."

She let out a soft sigh as William gripped her fingers, and they both fell asleep. Mulder smiled as he watched over his little family, feeling needed, wanted and loved for the first time in his life. Maybe the truth was in them. Maybe the truth was nothing more than love. Because love never lies.


	13. Colic and Cranky

A/N: It is late, and I have to be up at 7, yet I am sitting here starting another chapter. This really is an incurable obsession. Luckily I had this one all written out by hand already, so it didn't take much brain power.

* * *

Mulder opened the garage door quietly, hoping not to disturb the peace that was most likely inside. What he found was Scully laying on the couch with William tucked up under her chin. Their son had grown a lot in the last few weeks, and had definitely started to fatten up. His cheeks were chubby enough to begin with, but when he slept they seemed to droop even more, and hung down his face almost like jowls. Scully on the other hand, looked like she had never been pregnant. She got her figure back faster than even she anticipated. His hands could almost fit around her waist again.

He crouched down next to her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes opened slowly and she smiled.

"Hey. Either you're home early or I slept a lot longer than I wanted to."

"I'm early," he answered, continuing to run his fingers through her hair. He leaned down and kissed her. "I couldn't stay away. How's my little guy?"

"He just fell asleep. He cried for an hour straight. I'm hoping it doesn't turn into colic."

"Wonderful. You must be exhausted."

"It's not too bad. He's still not as headache inducing as you are."

"I appreciate that. I'll go change and then I'll take him and you can finish your nap."

"Just give me half an hour and then I'll start dinner."

"No, you lay down. I'll do dinner."

"But-"

"He's out for the count, Scully. Let yourself relax, alright?"

She nodded and he kissed her again.

"I'll be right back."

He returned five minutes later and gently took William from her. She sat up and yawned, watching as Mulder walked William around the room. It still made her heart clench to see them together. She knew that Mulder would be a good father, but every day he amazed her with how good he could be. Diapers, throw up, other nasty baby things- none of it phased him. He didn't hide at the first sign of tears, he was up at night just as much as she was, and he was even doing laundry. She really couldn't have asked for anything better.

Mulder finished circling the room and came back to sit down next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and the two of them watched William. Looking at their son seemed to be one of their biggest hobbies these days.

"He feels heavier today," Mulder commented. Scully nodded against him.

"He's quite the porker."

"It's okay to say that I like his fat thighs, right?"

She giggled.

"Yeah, I think that's okay. I'm going to go and take the hottest shower I can stand. Order pizza for dinner so we don't have to do dishes."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Once William woke up from his cat nap, he decided that crying was just about the only thing he could be bothered to do for the rest of the night. And he did it very loudly. They tried rocking him and bouncing him and nursing him and walking him and bathing him and every other thing they could think of, but William was not having any of it. He'd just let out another loud wail.

"Scully, what do we do for colic?"

"I don't know, Mulder. There's not really anything we can do. Maybe we should try swaddling him; that helps sometimes when he's fussy."

They wrapped William in a blanket so only his head was peeking out and William slowly settled down. Scully sighed and fell back onto the bed, rubbing her eyes.

"That was terrible," she muttered.

"I know. But tomorrow we'll pick up some ear plugs so we can be ready next time. And hey, maybe this is just a one time thing. His first act of rebellion."

She smiled and watched Mulder as he gently bounced the now silent William.

"You're not going to cry like that ever again, are you, buddy? No, we don't want your mom going crazy. She wouldn't like living in a rubber room. She's much too pretty for a life like that, huh?"

William gurgled as if the last few hours had been sunshine and rainbows.

"That wasn't funny, William," Scully scolded. "I swear this had better be a phase."

Mulder smiled and handed the baby to her.

"He's making hungry faces."

"Cry and eat, cry and eat," she sighed, sitting up and pulling a pillow into her lap for William to lay on.

"I need to finish up some paperwork for tomorrow. You gonna be okay in here?"

"I believe this part I have done before," she said with a smirk. He smiled back, kissed William's head, and left the room.

* * *

When he wasn't crying, William was the easiest, most pleasant baby in the world. He cooed and waved his hands and blew bubbles like crazy. He watched every movement around him, and would turn his head at the sound of his name. He never fought sleep, and was on a pretty good schedule.

And then colic reared its ugly head.

Scully had been right in assuming that's what the problem was. And just in case they weren't sure, William gave them a three or four hour display every night of his lung capacity. To say there were tired would have been an understatement.

It was the fifth night in a row, and William had (finally) been sleeping for about an hour. Scully was sprawled across the bed, her face buried in a pillow. Mulder tweaked her toes as he walked by, then flopped down next to her. They sighed in unison and he reached over and patted her hand. It was the only affection he could muster.

"Night, honey."

"Mmm, night."

They kept their hands together, but made no other moves to sleep close together in the middle of the bed like usual. Despite the exhaustion, sleep did not come as easily as they would have liked. They both tossed and turned for almost half an hour before finally finding comfortable positions and beginning the descent into dream land.

And that's when William started to squawk. Scully sighed and rubbed her eyes, but didn't move from the bed.

"Sir William beckons."

"He is so your child."

"So he's only my child when he's doing something annoying?"

"Yeah."

They were quiet for a moment, their sleep deprived bodies refusing to move.

"Aren't you going to get him?" Mulder asked finally.

"It's got to be your turn by now."

"I have to work in the morning."

"I'm so tired I could throw up."

"And I'm not?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just always the one to get him at night now, and I would like to you just this once help me out."

"He's closer to your side of the bed."

"All I wanted you to do was bring him to me. You can go back to sleep after that, but I have to stay up with him. But you don't even want to do that? Fine."

She stood from the bed and went over to the bassinet. She carefully picked William up and his cries lessened somewhat.

"Hi buddy," she whispered, heading back to the bed as she talked to him. "Are you hungry?" She offered him her finger and he took it greedily, a sure indication that he was indeed hungry. She sat down on the bed and within a few moments, he was content.

"I'm sorry," Mulder whispered, sitting up and moving closer to her turned back. She shifted uncomfortably, then sighed.

"Me too. I guess we're both just tired and cranky."

"And we haven't been able to spend time together, just the two of us, since before he was born."

"Maybe I should call mom and see if she'll watch him for a few hours this weekend so we can go out to dinner."

"That would be nice," he agreed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She nuzzled his hand gently, and the fight was forgotten.


	14. Smiles, clothes and laughter

A/N: I'm running out of ideas for this story! HELP!

* * *

Scully yawned and rolled over in bed, landing in the warm space that Mulder had just vacated. As much as she hated when he got out of bed and went to work, she did like the option of sprawling out over the whole bed. She dozed a little and listened to Mulder get ready for work. He was humming to himself as he picked a tie, then tried unsuccessfully to put it on. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, smirking as he untied and retied it three times. He finally sighed and took down a tie that was only loosened. It didn't match his suit, and she felt that she finally knew the reason he had worn those bad ties for so many years.

"Babe, come here," she chuckled, sitting up. "And bring the first tie you had."

He obeyed and sat down next to her. She fixed the tie for him, then patted his chest.

"I can buy you some clip-ons while I'm out today," she teased. He rolled his eyes.

"Going out to spend my hard earned money again?"

"William needs more clothes. He grows out of them faster than I can even wash them."

"Well make sure you get yourself something too. You deserve it."

She grinned and he leaned down and kissed her.

"I'll be home early."

"Alright. We'll be here. Any requests for dinner?"

"Everything you make is great, honey. But why don't you let me do it tonight?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"Okay."

He kissed her again and she grabbed his tie so he couldn't go far.

"What?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I just love you, that's all."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Yep."

He chuckled.

"I love you too."

William cried from his bedroom, which they had moved him into two weeks ago. His interruption definitely didn't spoil the moment, but it certainly ended it. Scully moved to get out of bed, but Mulder stopped her.

"I'll get him."

She smiled and watched him go, then turned her attention to the baby monitor next to her bed.

"Hey fuzzy hair," Mulder said over the monitor. "You are looking quite rumpled this morning. And my goodness, has something been brewing in that diaper or what?"

She heard William grunt back at him.

"Should we let mommy deal with this?"

There was a short silence, and Mulder laughed.

"Guess not. Alright, let's change your britches, rolly-poly."

There was another silence, and then a shocked "Dude!" from Mulder. She smiled to herself.

"William that is a mighty fine demonstration of how the human body works. I have never seen a diaper like this. Your mommy had better be grateful I took the hit on this one."

A few minutes later, he brought his freshly diapered son to her. William gurgled and sighed and waved his arms all over the place as Mulder laid him on the bed. His chubby little legs started to go and he smiled.

"Mulder, he smiled! Did you see it?"

"Yeah, I saw. Think he'll do it again?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's a fluke."

William continued to move and once they had their full attention on him, he smiled again, a huge, gummy, right to his eyes smile, complete with a gurgle. Scully laughed and leaned down to blow on his belly. The smile came again as his eyes focused on her.

"Well now that he's seen you, I am not worthy of his affections," Mulder commented, slipping his suit jacket on.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, I'd better get out of here if I don't want to be late. I'll see you when I get home."

She nodded and he kissed her for a long moment before leaning down to kiss William.

"Don't give your mommy any trouble today, alright, buddy?"

William just stared at him, then gave him a tiny smile.

* * *

Scully stood in William's closet, a cardboard box on the floor next to her. She was filling it with all of the clothes that didn't fit him anymore. More clothes were going in the box than were staying in the closet and it was making her sad.

William lay on the floor behind her, blowing bubbles and smiling. He loved to stare at the ceiling, it seemed to be his favorite thing. He kicked his legs against the floor and burbled to himself, completely entertained.

Scully finally finished and turned to look at her son. He stared at her with a smile, and she grinned back, then laid down on the floor next to him. He whipped his head around to stare at her, and reached his hand for her face. She kissed his fingers and he grinned.

"You're getting too big, squishy cheeks," she said. His mouth formed a little 'o', then he grinned up at her again. "You look like your daddy when you smile, do you know that?"

He let out a happy shriek and continued to wave his arms at her. She pulled him closer and kissed his soft head, wishing time would stop and she could keep him like this forever.

"You need a diaper change, pal."

She picked him up and they moved to the changing table where he continued to speak nonsensically. Halfway through the diaper change, he grew silent, and his face lit up.

"I'm home," Mulder called from the kitchen.

"We're in here," Scully shouted back. Mulder came into to room just as she was finished and leaned down to kiss her.

Which is right when William decided to give them his first laugh. It wasn't just a giggle. It was a full blown, knee slapping belly laugh. The broke apart quickly and stared down at him.

"You think that's funny son? Just wait a few years and you'll think it's gross."

Scully chuckled and picked William up off the changing table, kissing his cheeks, hoping he would laugh again.

"Honey, what's that box?"

"Oh. Those are the clothes he's grown out of."

There was a long pause as they looked at each other.

"I'm fine," she said, answering his unasked question. "I'm okay, really."

"Hon."

"I'm alright, Mulder, I swear, I..." she sighed. "Okay, I'm not fine, but I'm getting there. He's just growing so fast and I know this isn't going to happen again and I don't want to miss anything."

"Well," he said, reaching over to hug her. "in your desire to keep him this small, don't miss out on the things he's going to start doing. Look forward to it, okay?"

"I know. It's just kind of bittersweet. I want him to grow up and I want him to stay little like this."

"No one ever said it was easy being a mom."

"No, they did not. And if they did, they were on crack."

He laughed and kissed William's forehead.

"Hey buddy. Let's go make some dinner and let your momma relax. How does that sound?"

He took William, and Scully listened as the two of them walked down the hallway, "talking" to each other. She sat down in the rocking chair and pulled William's baby book from the shelf next to her. She meant to update it every day, but sometimes she was too tired, and other days she just forgot.

_Dear William,_

_I can't believe how fast you're growing! Sometimes I think that it was just yesterday that you were born. Every day you make a new face or a new sound or grow out of yet another outfit. It makes me sad to know that you won't always be this chubby little baby, but at the same time I can't wait to watch you grow up. I see you with your dad, and I know that someday you'll be just like him. He's a wonderful father, and he loves you so much. I have never seen such love in his eyes as when he looks at you. You're his world. _

_We both love you so much that sometimes I think that my heart will break, just from looking at you. We both wanted you so much, maybe more than any parent has ever wanted a child before. Someday I'll tell you all about that, I'm sure. I don't want you to ever forget how much we love you and want you. _

_I love you baby boy,_

_Momma_


	15. I'll Never Doubt

A/N: I didn't want to jump ahead too far, but I did want to update. I don't know where this is going but I'm sure the ending will be sappy. There are some things you can always count on.

* * *

"Your mom's house is going to be packed, isn't it?" Mulder asked as Scully turned up the heat in the car. She chuckled.

"Oh yeah. Between aunts and uncles and cousins, I would say 30 is a conservative estimate."

"You know I'm not big on family gatherings."

"I know. I'm not either, and I'm wishing that we were spending the holiday with your mom instead, but she went running down to Florida, so we're stuck with my family. I do apologize."

He chuckled.

"It won't be that bad. It's just dinner and then we can get out of there early. We can even blame it on William if we need to."

"You are such a good father," she teased, rolling her eyes.

"Fine. Blame it on me, say I didn't pack enough diapers and we need to go home before everyone regrets it."

"Well, okay."

She smiled and turned around to check on William, who was sleeping in his car seat. His cheeks were relaxed and his face was a sleepy pink color. He couldn't have looked more content. She grinned and turned around again.

"What?" Mulder asked, lacing his fingers with hers. That small action could practically make her swoon.

"He just looks so satisfied."

"Well he just ate."

"I know. I mean... he just totally trusts us, you know? We take care of him completely and he never has to worry about anything. He has no idea of the things that happen to him. He doesn't know that the world can be bad, because we are his world. I just... it kind of blows my mind."

"He's so innocent. It's hard to think that someday he won't be."

"I wish we could protect him from it all."

"I know, sweetie. I do too."

They fell into silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

"We didn't forget the pie, did we?" he asked suddenly.

"No, it's in the trunk. I almost forgot it. It's a good thing you asked me to go back in for a water bottle or we'd be flipping a U-ie on the freeway right now."

"Do you remember last Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah. I remember that I realized that I didn't know how to cook a turkey."

"It came out pretty good."

"I guess."

"We weren't sure if you were pregnant then. It was during those two weeks of waiting."

"Oh yeah. That was terrible. And I was hormonal. I remember yelling at you for nothing."

"That wasn't hormones my dear."

She just smiled.

"Well either way, I apologize for the way I treated you while under the influence of pregnancy."

"It was worth it, wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah."

* * *

William was quite possibly the most patient baby in the world. He slept right through the introductions to his extended family, endured the cheek pinching and being passed from relative to relative. Scully was relieved to say the least. She thought William would play show and tell with his screaming abilities, but he had done her proud.

Once she was sure he was back in his father's capable hands, she escaped to the kitchen where her mother and sisters-in-law were taking care of dinner.

"Need help?"

Maggie looked up at her and smiled.

"We've got it under control, but we would like your company."

"Hey, she could help me with the beans," Tara said. Scully nodded and sat down at the table with her and began unstringing the fresh green beans.

"I can't believe how big William is getting," Michelle remarked, as she checked the turkey.

"I know. Some of his six month clothes don't even fit him anymore. He got the tall and skinny Mulder gene."

"Skinny except for the cheeks."

"Yeah, those seem to be his most outstanding feature."

"Are you liking being at home?" Tara asked. She herself loved being able to stay at home with Matthew, but couldn't imagine her sister in law doing the same.

"I love it. There are days when I think it would be easier to go back to work, but I think I would miss him too much."

The other women nodded knowingly. They'd all been through it, Maggie and Michelle four times each.

"How are things at home?" Tara asked, pointedly.

"They're good. Being married is almost easier than being partners ever was. We've just kind of fallen into routines and everything has just come together so well, it's like we've been married for 10 years."

"Come on, Dana. You're not talking to idiots here. Marriage is hard and it's full of arguments and misunderstandings. You can't still be in that newlywed phase."

"Maybe it is just a phase, but I don't think so." Her cheeks flushed slightly, as she became acutely aware that she was about to engage in girl talk. "I think I fall more in love with him everyday. When he comes home from work and he's tired and has a headache and he would like to just sit down and decompress, he's right there changing diapers and helping me with dinner and all sorts of things that I don't even have to ask him to do. The look on his face every time he sees William; I can't even tell you what that does to me. I couldn't have asked for anyone better than him. Sure there's little things he does that annoy me, and I know that we're eventually going to argue like anyone else, but I just can't imagine what it would be about. We spent so long learning each other, that those little hiccups that a lot of marriages have are totally non existent with us."

"Oh honey. You're so naïve."

"Well, allow me my naïveté. It makes me happy."

"As long as you know he loves you, everything will be okay."

"Believe me, I know he loves me. There are so many little things he does, like asking me how I want the laundry done so he can start a load before he goes to work. And he makes me breakfast in bed every Saturday. And he insists that he doesn't mind leftovers for days on end because I'm too tired to cook. And he comes home early if I need him. And he makes sure my car is filled with gas, and he makes sure the oil gets changed. And he lets me go shopping by myself on the weekends, even though I never think I need time alone. And he rearranges meetings at work so he can go to all of William's well-baby appointments. And he calls me from work to tell me he misses me, and he leaves love notes all over the house. And every night, he tells me that he loves me and he's glad he married me, and he can't wait to grow old together. I know it sounds sappy, but I'll never doubt that he loves me. Never."

The other women listened to her with wistful smiles on their faces. Never had they heard true love expressed so simply, so matter-of-fact, yet with the deepest emotion. And certainly not from Dana.

They heard William crying and all four of them turned towards the doorway where Mulder stood with the baby.

"Mommy, I want some turkey!" Mulder said in his best baby voice. Scully chuckled and held her hands out for her son.

"I thought you'd make it at least three hours," she said, kissing his soft head. He gurgled back at her, then realized it was still going to be a few minutes before he could eat, so he wound up and started bawling again.

"Okay buddy, you don't have to be impatient, you're not your father."

Mulder rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair she had vacated.

"I'll be back. Help Tara with those beans."

"Yes ma'am."

She left the room and he sighed.

"It's not really right for me to be in here, is it?"

"What do you mean, Fox?"

"I'm not a woman. Not that a woman's place is in the kitchen, but I was under the impression that at least in this family, the women took care of Thanksgiving dinner."

"Well, normally, that's true. But since Dana is indisposed at the moment, you get to take her place."

He just nodded, realizing that he had no room to argue, and certainly enough sense to know that arguing with Scully women was futile.

He listened to their gossip for a while, keeping mostly to himself. It was nice to sit in a warm kitchen and just relax.

Unfortunately the illusion was shattered as Bill entered the room. He'd been cordial enough, but Mulder would have been a fool if he said that Bill wasn't reining it in.

"When will dinner be ready, mom? I heard whispers of mutiny."

"Half an hour at the most. Tell everyone that they can just grow up and be patient or get in here and help me."

Bill chuckled a little, then caught Mulder's eye. He motioned with his head that Mulder should follow him out of the room. Mulder steeled himself and stood, ignoring the fact that Michelle was humming a dirge. He followed Bill down the front hall and into the garage. It was freezing and he shuddered.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked, feeling very bold.

"I just want you to know that I don't accept the fact that you're in her life."

"How could you not accept it, Bill? You just don't like it, that's all. You don't care that she's happy. You just don't want her with me. Well here's a little news flash. She's with me. We're married. We have a son together. I'm not going to leave her, and especially not because you just can't handle it."

"Now, just a minute-"

"No. I've listened to you enough over the years. I know you don't want me in your family, and I know you blame me for every bad thing that has ever happened, but it's time for you to get over that. You've put your sister through a lot of crap that she didn't deserve. And maybe I'm not in the place to judge that because I've put her through a lot too. But the least you can do as a brother is to keep your mouth shut and pretend be happy for her."

"I can't be happy for her. She's in danger."

"No, she's not. She is perfectly safe. Believe me, I've seen to it. She's in more danger of getting a paper cut than anything. Do you think I would really bring a child into this world if I couldn't protect him or his mother?"

"I don't know. I think you're selfish. I think you would do anything to make yourself happy, at the expense of everyone else, especially my sister. How do I know that you're not going to run off and leave her alone with the kid?"

"Because I love them. I cannot leave them, and I have no desire to. I will not hurt them. You have hurt her more than I ever have. You've questioned how much she loves her son, you've acted like he doesn't exist, and you have second guessed every decision she has ever made. You have no right to walk around here like you have her best interest at heart. You never have Bill. You have made that clear. I know you don't like me, Bill, but I don't like you either. The only reason I haven't said this before is because Dana would kill me. We're not going to get along, and that is just the way it's going to be. Anything else you wanted to say?"

"You know you've got some nerve showing up here."

"Oh really? You think it's wrong that I want to spend Thanksgiving with my wife and our son? Would you ditch your wife just because her family didn't like you? I don't think so. Why would you expect me to do that? Because this makes you uncomfortable? Well get over it."

Bill's face was red with anger, his hands on his hips.

"You don't come into my house and talk to me like that!"

"This isn't your house Bill. And you're the one who has been talking down to me since the day we met. Grow up. Find someone else to bother because this is really a waste of your time."

"You stay away from my family."

"Then you stay away from mine."

He turned and stalked out of the garage, past the front room and up the stairs, peeking in bedrooms, until he found Scully in her old room. She glanced up as he walked in, a puzzled expression on her face. He shut the door behind him.

"What's going on?" she asked, switching William's position in her arms so she could burp him better.

He just sighed and shook his head as he began to pace the length of the room. Scully sat quietly and watched him until William was burped and asleep.

"Mulder?" she said quietly, settling William in the middle of the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Bill and I got in an argument," he replied, hoping that she wouldn't probe.

"And? What did he say?"

"He didn't say much. I really let into him though, and I don't think I should have."

"Honey, what happened?"

"He doesn't want us together. He thinks I'm a danger to you, all the usual. It doesn't really surprise me, but I think I've proved myself. You're not in danger of anything and I would never put you in danger, but he just can't accept that."

"I know it's frustrating, but we just have to ignore it. That's all I can think to do at this point."

"I know."

"And it's not like anyone else shares his feelings, right?"

"Well, that is true."

"And I am most certainly on your side, no matter what."

"I guess I really couldn't ask for more then."

She smiled and shook her head, then leaned up to kiss him. He let the irritation leave him and he lost himself in the kiss. He never thought she would kiss him like this in a semi-public place. It was surprising to say the least.

She pulled away after a moment, a small smile on her face.

"Honey, we can always go home if you'd rather. We've put in a rather lengthy appearance and no one will fault us for leaving. I don't have turkey at home, but we could have ham sandwiches or something."

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"It'll be alright. He's proven that he's too chicken to cause any problems where there are witnesses, so we should be fine right up through pumpkin pie."

"Good, because I was going to be peeved if I missed pie."

He hugged her close for a long moment, trying to forget about the earlier conversation.

"Thank you," he said finally.

"For what?"

"Just for being here. Keeping me from going crazy."

"Well, it's a hard job, and I've had to pull you back from the brink many times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"You know that I would never leave you, right?"

"I know. And I am never going to want you to. Of course if you keep squeezing the toothpaste from the middle, you may be sleeping in the garage."

"I'll make it my New Year's Resolution."

She chuckled and kissed him one more time before scooping William up.

"Alright, we'd better get down there. Mom will send out a search party."

He followed her downstairs and avoided the look Bill gave him once they entered the living room. He could have glared back, but instead, he placed his hand on the small of Scully's back, as much for her comfort as his own, and he smiled.


	16. Just your average day

A/N: I think I am going to advance this story by major milestones now. I'll make a note of how old he is at the beginning of every chapter. Sweet little William is just over 6 months old here. There is nothing like the first time they say your name.

* * *

"I'm sorry for calling," she said hurriedly when he answered his phone. "I know you have a meeting, but this couldn't wait."

"What's wrong, Scully?"

"Just a second."

There was a long silence and then he heard one of the best sounds in the world.

"Daddy!" William said in his little baby voice. He'd been trying to form words for weeks, but this was the first word that was actually recognizable. It came out more like "Dud-ee" but it was close enough.

"Hi William."

"Daddy!"

"What are you doing buddy?"

"Daddy!"

He chuckled as Scully took the phone back.

"I was afraid he might stop saying it and I wanted you to hear."

"Thanks honey. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. What time will you be home?"

"Maybe a little after five. I have a feeling this meeting isn't going to go well."

"We'll be here when you get home. Be safe okay?"

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too."

She turned the phone off and set it on the counter. William looked at her curiously, then broke out in a huge grin.

"Do you want to help me fold the laundry?" she asked, heading for the utility room. He babbled at her as she balanced him on her hip and pulled clothes out of the dryer. He was getting drool on her shirt, but she didn't care. She stood up from where she was crouched on the floor, and pushed the laundry basket out to the living room with her foot. She sat down on the floor and dumped the clothes out. William crawled away from her, spotting his fleece blanket and clutching it in his chubby hand. He stuck his free thumb in his mouth then lay down on the floor, sucking his thumb and staring at his mom.

"You're going to have to get over that thumb thing on your own. I don't want to have to wean you."

He grinned as he realized that the words were directed at him. She smiled back and he slapped the floor next to him several times before tucking his arm underneath him again and drifting to sleep.

Scully folded the laundry slowly, watching William sleep. His soft snores made her tired, and she was tempted to curl up under the towels and shirts and take a little snooze herself. Even though he was only crawling, she felt like she was constantly running after him, trying to keep his little hands out of things that he shouldn't touch. She had run to the other room yesterday to grab the phone, and when she returned, he had emptied the entire bottom drawer of pot holders. He was going to grow up thinking his name was "William, no" if things stayed this way.

She finished folding the clothes and set to work putting them away. When she finished, she scooped William up and tucked him in to his crib. He would probably only nap for another half hour, but it was enough time to return a few e-mails. She just got the last one sent when William woke up, yelling nonsensically. Scully logged out and went into William's room. He was sitting in the middle of his crib, staring at the door and holding onto the bars that kept him caged off from the rest of the world.

"I thought you'd sleep longer than that baby guy," she said checking his diaper. He settled his head on her shoulder and the thumb went in his mouth again. She smiled and pulled his coat out of the closet and wrestled it onto him.

"We need to go grocery shopping dude."

His head popped up at the word "go" and she smiled as his legs kicked in joy. He loved going places, no matter where it was. He would sit in his stroller or the shopping cart and stare at everything he passed.

"And we need to get some medicine for your daddy."

"Daddy!"

"He's probably going to get sick soon. I told him to get a flu shot, but did he listen to me? No," she said, shaking her head. William laughed and mimicked her action. Giggling, she kissed his cheek and headed out the door.

* * *

Mulder came through the door at 5:15, dropped his briefcase on the floor and ran his hand through his hair.

"Your day was that good?" Scully asked, pulling two plates down from the cupboard.

"You have no idea how glad I am to be home," he answered, shedding his suit jacket and draping it over a chair. She smiled and hugged him tightly. He dropped a kiss on her head, then tilted her chin up and kissed her properly.

"Something smells good."

"I know I do," she retorted with a grin. "It'll be ready by the time you change your clothes."

"Where's William?"

"Asleep. He has not been so good at napping today."

"Did he say daddy some more?"

"All day. He'd crawl over to your shoes and say it, or he'd see your picture and say it. And my all time favorite was when he screamed it in the middle of the grocery store."

"He did?"

"Yes, and then he threw his head back and laughed."

"That's my boy."

She rolled her eyes and patted his chest.

"Go change."

He obeyed but returned a few minutes later with a smiling William.

"He was staring at me with the most forlorn expression on his face. I couldn't just leave him in there."

"Well, let's just hope he sleeps good tonight."

"Daddy," William grinned, patting Mulder's face.

"Hey buddy, who's that?" he asked, pointing at Scully. William screeched with delight and lunged for her. She laughed and pulled him into a hug, blowing a zerbert on his cheek.

"William, say mommy," Mulder coached.

He just squealed and slobbered up her shoulder.

"Mommy, William."

"Honey, he's not going to say it."

"I guess not. I just figured that since you're here with him all day, mommy would come first."

"He hears me say daddy more. I don't talk about myself in the third person," she explained.

"I guess."

"Don't be so bummed. At least he said your name. And he will say mine eventually."

"I know."

"Come on, dinner's ready."

She put William in his high chair then went back to the stove.

"Strained peas or chicken and rice, Sir William?" Mulder asked, holding both jars up for William's inspection.

"He had peas for lunch which resulted in a lovely diaper and my resolution that he will not be eating peas anymore."

"Chicken and rice it is. You lucked out, dude," he commented, opening the jar. Scully set a plate of food down in front of Mulder, then sat down to feed William.

"How was work?"

"It was okay. I'm tired of the meetings with Skinner every week because the new agents couldn't handle life on the X-Files."

"I'm sorry. I really wish you could find someone."

"I know. Skinner's is more stressed about it than I am. We're going to interview some more agents next week."

"Any women interested?"

"Just one. I can't remember much about her except that she has worked for VCU and has dealt with a few cases of ritualistic crime. We'll see how it pans out. She may be too open-minded."

"Well, give it time. That's what you did with me."

"I just don't want to have to bail anyone out. I mean, I'm not head of the department anymore, but Skinner has practically begged me to help him out, and I can't leave him in the lurch."

"Honey, between the two of you I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find some great agents. Just don't worry about it so much. It'll happen."

"I really wish you could be there to help us. It would be nice to have your opinions."

"You just keep me updated and I'll share my wisdom with you."

"That's all I ask."

They smiled together before William pounded his tray, upset that Scully hadn't gotten the food to his little mouth fast enough.

"William, you're just like your daddy."

"Daddy!" he repeated. Scully laughed as his joyous proclamation caused him to spit food everywhere.

"He did not get that from my side of the family," she remarked.

It was at that moment that William learned something else very useful. He learned to blow raspberries.

"William!" Scully exclaimed, placing her hand gently over his mouth as more food sprayed in all directions. Mulder just laughed as William seized the opportunity to grab his spoon and dump the rest of his dinner into his lap. Scully finally regained control of the spoon, and wiped her messy hand on a dishtowel.

"Buddy," she said, feeding him what was left in the jar. "You're going to need a bath."

"He's got it in his hair."

"A long bath," she corrected.

"I'll take care of it. You relax."

"Sure?"

"Yep. Come on, Willster. Maybe I'll let you have bubbles."

He took his son out of the high chair and held him at arms length on the trip to the bathroom. Scully sat down to eat and listened to the bathwater running.

"Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"He peed on the floor."

She snickered and rolled her eyes before answering.

"Just wipe it up."

"It got on the bath rug."

"We'll just throw it in the wash later. No big deal."

"Okay."

After a few minutes, she started to hear splashing and laughter, so she quickly finished her dinner and joined them. Mulder's t-shirt was soaked and William was happily kicking his legs in the water.

"Daddy!"

"Let's get your hair washed, bub. Maybe I'll give you a Mohawk. Think mommy would like that?"

Scully stood in the doorway and watched them with a smile. With drool on her shirt and baby food in her hair, her life was far from glamorous. But the moments like these were what counted. She chuckled to herself as William managed to splash Mulder in the face. She never thought she would get to this place- perfect contentment. She couldn't remember the last time she had been lonely, or even unsure. It seemed that the rest of the world just faded into the background as she watched her two men play.

* * *

Scully left William's bedroom door slightly ajar and walked into the living room. Mulder was sitting on the couch watching the news, a glass of iced tea next to him. She sat down at his side, grinning when he pulled her into his arms.

"I'm cold," she said, scooting closer to him. He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around them as she yawned.

"Maybe you should go to bed babe."

"Mmm," she answered. He chuckled and kissed her cheeks.

"You yawned so hard your eyes watered."

"I know. I just... I'm always so tired by the time he goes to bed that I end up falling asleep on you almost every night."

"It's okay, honey. You work hard and you never nap during the day. Besides, I'm going to be home all weekend and we can spend some time together then."

"Okay. But I was reading this article about people who have kids under a year old, and a lot of times the husband feels neglected because his wife is devoting so much time to the baby. It actually starts a lot of marriages down the wrong path and I don't want that to happen to us."

"It won't hon. You dote on me enough, okay?"

"Alright."

"Go to bed. I just want to check the scores for the game and then I'll be in too."

She nodded and stood from the couch before leaning down to kiss him.

"I love you, Mulder."

"I love you too, Scully. Goodnight."

She smiled and practically stumbled to bed, exhausted, but with a smile on her face. Life couldn't get any sweeter.


	17. One Flu over the Cuckoo's Nest

A/N: I have too many updates to do and keep track up. I have them written out on little papers all over my desk... and sometimes I get them jumbled up and... I really need a filing cabinet in here. Or I could just wait until I get home to type them out. Either way.... this ending sucks. Sorry.

* * *

He stumbled into the house, eyes bleary and head pounding. He had felt fine when he headed to work a few hours ago, but now he was just thankful he had survived the trip home.

"Mulder, is that you?"

"No," he answered, dropping his suit jacket and tie on the floor of the laundry room.

"I knew you'd be back soon," she replied, her voice sounding a little bit more Barbara Stanwycky than usual.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, flopping down on the couch next to her.

"Just about as good you look."

"Thanks. How's William?"

"He's finally asleep. He's been crawling around all day, saying my name in this pathetic little voice. He sniffles and throws up and cries and I can't even do anything else for him. I hate this," she said. He reached over and brushed an escaped tear from her face.

"Come on babe. Let's go to bed."

They stood from the couch and walked slowly to their bedroom where they collapsed on the bed together.

"I do not like being sick," she muttered.

"I do not like it, not one little bit," he responded, grinning.

"You are off bed-time duty for a few days."

"You're just jealous that I was channeling Dr. Seuss."

"You're more delirious than I thought."

He chuckled and pulled her over to his side of the bed.

"Did I ever tell you that you're cute when you're sick?"

"No. And you've had plenty of opportunity."

He rolled his eyes and kissed her softly. Her eyes stayed closed when he pulled away and she sighed.

"My head is buzzing," she commented, before a wry smile crossed her lips. "And yes, it's because of the fever."

"You win some you lose some," he mumbled with a shrug, slumping back into his pillows.

She coughed several times then rolled over to face him.

"Let's move."

"What?"

"Let's move somewhere warm, where they don't have cold and flu season or allergies or anything else unpleasant."

"You go and scout a location. Let me know when you find something."

She chuffed out a laugh and snuggled into his side.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Go to sleep."

They heard a wail from the direction of William's room, and Mulder immediately stood from the bed.

"Stay there and rest, sweetie," he said, when he saw her sitting up. "I'll deal with El Screamo for a little while."

She smiled and lay down as Mulder made his way to their son.

* * *

An hour later, she felt 15 pounds of baby crash down next to her.

"What's wrong?"

"We're sick. William said that we need mommy."

William pulled himself closer to her until his head was resting on her chest.

"Momma," he croaked, sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"Feels like his fever went down a little."

"I gave him a bath. I think it made him feel a little better."

"Good. Thanks."

He leaned over and touched her forehead.

"It's official. We've all got it."

"Great. How do I take care of a sick baby when I can barely see straight?"

"I have no idea. Maybe we should call your mom?"

"No. Not even in the realm of possibilities. I love her, but one more piece of weird advice and she isn't coming over here again."

"Geez."

"I'm serious. The other day she told me that I should be teaching William sign language so he can communicate with us. I don't know how he is going to connect the signs to the words if he doesn't know what the words mean. He'll learn to talk faster than I can teach him sign language anyway. It doesn't even make sense."

"You're grouchy."

"You're surprised?"

"Guess not."

"I need sleep like Skinner needs Rogaine."

"He'd look funny with hair."

She snickered.

"Yeah, he would. Are you coming to bed?"

He nodded and climbed in next to them as William let out a short cough.

"Maybe we'll all feel better in a few hours."

"I hope so."

* * *

William woke up several times in the night, each time needing nothing more than a drink of water and a snuggle before he would drift back to sleep. Scully knew he needed to eat, but she didn't want his little body to have to go through getting sick again. Seeing his body in near spasms as he got sick was just too much. Small drinks of water would suffice for a while, at least until he demanded more. Somewhere in the night she managed to change his diaper with her eyes nearly closed before falling back into bed.

"Momma," William croaked, lifting his head just barely and coughing weakly. She smiled and hugged him close as Mulder rolled over and opened his eyes.

"Hey," Scully said on a yawn. "How are you feeling?"

"Gross," he replied, rubbing his eyes.

"Daddy."

"Hi, bud. Your voice sounds better," he commented, stroking William's dark hair. William smiled at his father's touch, then pulled himself onto Mulder's chest. He sighed and popped his thumb in his mouth before settling down to sleep.

"We managed to get a pretty good kid, didn't we?" Mulder commented, rubbing William's back.

"He takes after you," Scully replied, fixing the baby's tiny sock.

"I'll assume that was well-intentioned. How are you feeling?"

"I still have a headache, but my stomach feels better."

"That's improvement. Pretty soon you'll be well enough to take care of me."

"Mulder, you're pitiful."

* * *

She woke up in the morning to the sound of William's congested breathing. His exhaling sounded almost like a rattlesnake. She lifted him from Mulder's chest and felt his forehead. His fever had returned, but it wasn't as high as it had been. She kissed his cheeks and he opened his glassy eyes to stare at her.

"Mommy," he sighed with a smile. He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and then went for his eyes.

"Oh buddy, don't do that," she said, sitting up and taking a Kleenex from the bedside table. She wiped his hand off and he rested his head against her shoulder. She noted that his breathing seemed better when he was upright. He probably had a tiny bit of fluid on his lungs that he needed to cough up. She patted his back to encourage the coughing, but he squirmed in her arms and started to cry.

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, but I want to take him to the doctor just in case."

"I'll go with you."

"You're not going to work?"

He just looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Do I need to make an appointment for you too, honey?" she teased, reaching up to brush his hair away from his forehead. He just rolled his eyes and she handed William to him. "I'm going to go and shower. Will you change his clothes and get him to drink some water? If he keeps it down I'll feed him in a little while."

"Okay. Come on Wet Bandit. You're in need of a serious diaper change."

* * *

20 minutes later Scully came out of the bathroom, and could hear Mulder talking to William.

"Your mommy is the most wonderful woman in the whole world," he was saying. She peeked into William's room and found her boys sitting in the rocking chair, watching the rain fall outside.

"She saved my life so many times. She still does, every morning when I wake up and see her sleeping next to me. She's so beautiful, William. And not just outside, inside too. Someday you'll understand what I mean. She would do anything for us. Anything in the world. She loves us so much. I don't even deserve it, but she loves me anyway. And if I could have picked anyone in the world to be your mommy, I would have picked her. She's perfect, buddy. I want you to know that, and someday when you get married, I hope you can find a woman who is just as amazing as your mommy is."

Scully swiped a renegade tear from her eye and made sure the conversation was over before entering the room.

"Hey mommy," Mulder said as she came to stand next to him. She smiled and kissed him deeply, her hand running through his hair.

"Wow. What was that for?" he asked, once she had pulled away.

"Nothing much. I just love you. That's all."

He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her down into his lap. William grinned at his new companion and reached out chubby hands for her.

"Mommy!"

She picked him up and settled herself into Mulder's lap.

"We should leave for the doctor soon," he murmured.

"We can wait a little bit."

They fell into a silence and she sighed softly.

"Honey, can we go on vacation soon?"

He chuckled and rubbed her shoulders.

"Where did that come from?"

"I don't know. I guess everything happened so fast that we didn't really get to do all of the normal new relationship stuff. We barely dated, we never had the awkward meeting of the parents. And we never had a honeymoon."

"Do you feel like you missed out?"

"Not to the point where I have regrets, but I would like to have those memories."

"Honey, we have years of memories, all leading up to this. No one else has a story even remotely like we do. Isn't that romantic?"

"Well, I guess so."

"If you want a honeymoon, we'll go on one, okay? You name it. I'll take you anywhere."

She smiled and kissed him again.

"I don't want you to think that I'm spoiled or something like that. I just-"

"I understand. We did do things fast and out of order. But we can make up for that now. We'll go on more dates and have a honeymoon. I'll even marry you again if you want."

"I don't, but don't mention that around my mom. She wants us to have a "real" church wedding. I am not into that, I have to say."

"Well good because it would have taken everything in me not to complain about having to get married again."

"I could take that the wrong way, you know."

"But you're smart enough not to."

"Yes, and apparently wonderful and amazing too."

"You heard that?"

"I heard it, but I knew it already too."

"I'm adding humble to that list."

She giggled and he hugged her tightly.

"I love you, Mulder. I wouldn't change anything. You know that right."

"I know. I wouldn't change anything either. Even diapers."

There were times that she wondered when their little storybook world was going to come crashing down around their ears. When "See Spot Run" would become "Big Truck Spot! Splat!" When it would all become too much and they would forget how much they loved each other. Then there were moments like these when she knew that no matter what happened, at the end of the day, they were a family. They would always love each other, and she and Mulder would be just as deeply connected as they had always been. She'd never been surer of anything in her life.


	18. Happy Birthday William!

A/N: Can't wait can't wait.... Phoenix in 3 days... no name niece in a month or so... life is sweet. I had a few tears writing this chapter. I reread my letter to my nephew Landon that I wrote before I met him for the first time. And wow. I haven't seen him in 4 days and I miss him so much. I could go on and on about the ridiculous amount of love I have for my baby guy, but I'll spare you.

And I totally just realized that I never wrote Mulder and Scully's anniversary. Oh well.

* * *

* * *

"Honey, could you run to the store for me?" Scully asked, coming out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"Sure. What do you need?"

"I'm out of that tea your mom likes and we're out of eggs."

"Do you need eggs for lunch?"

"No but I figured if you were already going to the store..."

"I'll get eggs. Anything else?"

"We could use some diapers, but only if they're on sale. And another gallon of milk. Oh, and another loaf of bread, William has been eating like three sandwiches a day. And peanut butter. Cheese. Applesauce."

"Honey, do you want to just give me a list?"

"Yes."

He chuckled as she scribbled a quick list for him.

"I'll be back in a little while."

"Daddy!" William exclaimed, once he realized his father was leaving.

"Aw, you wanna go too, buddy?"

William reached his hands up and whimpered.

"Alright, you can come."

"Change his diaper first. He's getting ripe."

Mulder rolled his eyes and took William in the other room.

"Hon, when do you think you're going to start potty training this kid?"

"In a few months. He's still little."

"Yeah, but he makes a big mess."

"Babies tend to do that."

Mulder finished with the diaper, washed his hands and brought William into the kitchen.

"What do you think mommy? Coat?"

"Might as well grab one just in case, but don't put it on him."

"Okay. We'll be back soon."

They headed out to the car and Mulder buckled William into his seat. William squealed with delight.

"Go! Go! Daddy go!"

"Yes, we're going."

William clapped as Mulder started the car.

"Should we get mommy some flowers while we're out?"

"Mommy!"

They drove the few minutes to the grocery store and Mulder got William out of the car and headed in, hoping the air conditioning was on, as the sun had come out full force while they were in the car.

William babbled happily as they walked around the store, filling the grocery cart with all the things on Scully's list. They had gathered everything -plus cookies- and were deciding on flowers when Mulder heard someone calling his name.

"Fox?"

He turned around and came face to face with a woman he had nearly forgotten. Phoebe Greene.

"Uh... hi."

"I was the last person in the world you were expecting to see."

"I guess you could say that. What are you doing here? In the states I mean."

"My sister is getting married next weekend."

"Oh."

"Her fiancé is from DC, and they wanted to have the wedding in an old church here."

"I see."

"Fox, is this your son?"

"Um, yes. Yes, this is William."

"How old is he?"

"Today is his first birthday."

"Happy birthday, William. He sure looks like you, Fox."

"That seems to be the consensus. I still think he looks like his mom."

"You actually talked someone into having a child with you? Brave woman."

He just nodded.

"Well, I had better be going. My sister is waiting."

"Okay. It was nice to see you."

"You too Fox."

Mulder waited until Phoebe was gone before letting out a long sigh.

"William, don't say a word about this to mommy. Deal?"

"Mommy!"

"We'll get her a big bouquet of flowers. The biggest one this store has."

* * *

"Honey, your men are home!"

"Does this mean I have to put away the chocolate and the chick flicks?" she teased, taking William from him before he dropped the groceries.

"Guess so. Sorry to spoil your fun."

"Oh well. Why so many bags? Did you buy more cookies?"

"We were out!"

She chuckled and set William down on the floor. He pulled himself into a standing position using the couch for support, then slowly let go and clapped.

"Come on lazy, take a step."

"He's not going to do it. He's got your stubborn streak."

"You're blaming this on me? You're the King of Stubborn. I even made you that crown that you refused to wear. His stubbornness is all you my friend."

"Maybe it's just hard to walk when you're wearing a diaper."

"That's another possibility."

"Hey I got you something."

"You did?"

He smiled and went back out to the car for the flowers.

"I thought I would commemorate the first anniversary of you being a mom."

"Mulder?"

"Yes?"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. I was planning on getting you flowers long before..."

"Before what?"

"Why don't you go and put those in water, honey?"

"Why don't you come with me and tell me all about this 'before' that you're so nervous about."

He followed her into the kitchen where he hopped up on the counter and watched as she cut the flower stems and arranged them in a vase.

"I ran into someone at the store."

"Who?"

"Um... Phoebe."

"Greene?"

"No, Buffay. Yes, Greene."

"And... what?"

"We talked. She thinks William looks like me."

"Did she touch him?"

"What?"

"Did she touch my son?"

"Scully, she didn't- oh. You're teasing."

"Of course I'm teasing."

"I thought you were going to be mad."

"Nah. I know you know she's a moron."

"Okay."

"Now if you ran into Diana Fowley and had a conversation with her, I might leave you."

"Don't speak ill of the dead."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Yes."

She laughed and walked over to hug him.

"Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful."

"I know you are but what am I?"

"Seven, apparently."

He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They heard a crash from the living room and a small giggle.

"William, are you being naughty?"

"Oh no..." he said solemnly. Scully sighed and went into the living room.

"Daddy, we're going to need some damage control in here," she called back to him.

"In the form of?"

"Paper towels and a vacuum cleaner."

"I'm on it."

* * *

_Dear William,_

_Today you turned one. Sometimes I feel like you have been here with me and daddy forever, and sometimes it feels like just yesterday that I looked at you for the first time. All my life I wanted to be a mommy, and I waited for it for so long. I remember the morning just before you were born. I was so scared of what you would see in the world, but I knew that daddy and I could prepare you for it. I remember looking into your eyes for the first time and seeing your daddy in them. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you. You've completed my life. You've healed hurts that I didn't even know were there. You make me smile every day. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and run into your room, just to make sure you're not a dream._

_You walked for the first time today. 17 steps across the room from Grammy to Nana. You were so proud of yourself and we all clapped for you. And as happy as I was, I couldn't help but be a little sad too. Every milestone brings us that much closer to the day when you will leave our house and strike out on your own. It's a bittersweet feeling, and as much as I would love to keep you little forever, I can't wait to see the man you grow up to be. I am already proud of that person._

_I hope your life is full of laughter and love, but I also hope you go through trials. That is what makes you a stronger person. It's what makes you a better parent. And I want you to know that daddy and I will always love you and always be there for you, laughter or trials._

_You will always be my little man, no matter how old you get. You're my world and the best part of my day. _

_Happy birthday William Asher Levi! _

_Love and Hugs, _

_Mommy_


	19. Little Family

A/N: Takes place a few weeks after William's birthday. Early August 2002. Shortie short short chapter, but sometimes subtleties are best. Much more next chapter... I promise.

* * *

He lay in bed quietly, staring at the ceiling and listening to her breathe. She had her back turned to him, but he could tell that she was awake. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but never having been through this before, he wasn't quite sure what to do. Maybe if she cried or even said something, he would catch a hint. But she was not helping him out here at all.

"Honey?" he said finally. She shifted slightly.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

He scooted up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.

"It's okay not to be fine."

She sniffled a little and glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Being fine doesn't mean I'm not sad."

"I know. You just haven't said much."

"I don't know what to say. We tried to get pregnant again and it didn't work. That's all there really is to say."

"Honey."

"I'm alright. I'm sad, and I thought that we might get lucky again, but we have William, and we'll be okay."

"I can stay home from work tomorrow."

"You don't need to do that."

"I know. I just don't really feel like going to work. I'd rather just stay home and spend some time with you."

"Okay."

They fell silent for a few minutes, his fingers drawing lazy patterns on her stomach. She fought back tears as the doctor's words played over in her head.

_I'm sorry. The procedure failed._

She had tried not to imagine having another baby, but she couldn't help it. She had even pulled out the old name lists they made when she was pregnant with William. She knew the chances weren't good, but the desire was too much, and she had let herself dream as if it was a for sure thing.

"Sweetheart?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

She rolled over to face him, her eyes misting.

"I love you too."

He held her tightly and kissed her forehead. They would get through it. They always did.

She sniffled a little and he felt a few tears on his shirt, but neither one of them said anything. He felt the loss as deeply as she did, but he knew the feeling was still different for her. She was probably feeling guilty, despite the fact that she was not at fault. She probably had what-if's running through her head, thinking that if she had just taken more vitamins, or had gotten more sleep maybe, just maybe she could have gotten pregnant. The fact of the matter was that invitro fertilization does not work all the time. It actually has a low success rate, and there was nothing else she could have done to encourage implantation.

Her slow, quiet tears subsided and she leaned up and kissed him.

"We're really going to be okay, right?"

"We're going to be fine, honey."

They heard a soft cry from William's bedroom then his little voice calling for them.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Scully smiled and stood up.

"I'll be back."

Normally Mulder took William duties in the night, but he knew that tonight, Scully needed to do it.

"Hey buddy, what's the matter?"

William smiled up at her and held a hand out.

"Wannuh."

"You want some water?"

"Peas."

She handed him his sippy cup and he drank greedily before tossing it to the other side of his crib.

"Hode."

She picked him up and kissed his cheeks before he settled onto her shoulder and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

"Do you want to come sleep with me and daddy tonight?"

"Daddy," he answered around his thumb. She smiled and carried them back into their bedroom, then settled him on the bed between them.

"William, why do you have your thumb in your mouth?" Mulder asked. He was under the impression that thumb sucking would ruin William's teeth and therefore ruin his speech. Scully mostly just rolled her eyes. To her William was still a baby who needed the security of sucking his thumb, while Mulder thought William was a little man who didn't need such comforts anymore.

"Honey, just let him suck his thumb. It's not a big deal."

"But what if he has trouble talking when he's older?"

"He talks just fine now. I sucked my thumb until I was ten and I never had any problem talking, believe me."

"You sucked your thumb until you were ten?"

"Yes I did."

"Why?"

"It's a comfort thing I guess."

"Why'd you stop?"

"Missy told all my friends."

"Ouch."

"I just told all her friends that she still wet the bed, so we were even."

"Wetting the bed is worse."

"I know."

William had been watching them talk and he slowly lifted his thumb to his mouth, glancing at Mulder with the most pitiful expression ever.

"Alright, go ahead. I guess mommy's right."

She smiled.

"Do you remember when we brought him home from the hospital?"

"He was so little then."

"I found a bunch of pictures today that I had forgotten about. He was probably a week old and you and I looked like we hadn't slept in 10 years. I figure I can cut us out of those."

"No, we need them to scare him out of knocking anyone up."

"Mulder!"

"Couldn't hurt."

She just chuckled and took William's hand in hers. He looked up at her and smiled slightly before drifting back to sleep.

"Goodnight, honey," Mulder said, leaning over to kiss her.

"Night."

They snuggled in closer to each other, and the small family fell asleep.


	20. William's New Word

A/N: So I was sitting here a while ago, wondering what I should do with this story. I kind of knew where it was going, but I didn't want to actually do that because it was so cliché. Unfortunately, I broke down and decided to do it anyway. Cliché works despite itself, right? I'm going to try and make it my own though. Hopefully no one gets so bored of this that they picket or send flames. Picketing makes me cry and flames will just be used to roast marshmallow Peeps.

* * *

The weather had finally started to grow chilly at the beginning of October, and by Mulder's birthday, they were turning the heat on at night. It was a nice change from the heat of the summer, but all the cold said was that snow was coming and he was going to have to shovel off the driveway every few days for the next three months. He wasn't really looking forward to that.

He stepped into the house and immediately pulled his tie off. He didn't mind having to wear a suit, but the tie was a little bit too much.

"What, no one comes running when Daddy comes home anymore?" he asked, walking into the living room. Scully and William were sitting on the floor, building a large tower of blocks.

"We're in deep concentration over here," Scully answered as Mulder joined them.

"Do we have a future architect on our hands?"

William let out a growl, then pushed the tower over with a laugh.

"Nope. Demolition man."

Mulder chuckled.

"As long as he doesn't decide to start training on this house."

"Hi Daddy!" William shouted, lunging at his father.

"Hi buddy. Did you have a fun day?"

"Side!" William responded, pointing towards the back door.

"Mommy took you outside? You're spoiled rotten."

"He also learned a new word today."

"Is that right?"

"William, can you tell Daddy your new word?"

"Baby!"

"And where is the baby, William?"

He grinned and leaned over to pat her stomach.

"Baby."

Mulder's brow furrowed for a moment, and he looked over at Scully who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Honey? Are you... how did... I thought we..."

"I know. I'm kind of still in shock myself."

"But how?"

"I don't know. Maybe the tests that were done didn't work right, and maybe I had extra hormones from the invitro. I have no idea."

"And you're sure?"

"Positive. I went to the doctor this morning."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I was afraid I was wrong. I wanted to be sure."

"How far along?"

"About 5 weeks."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"When are you due?"

"June 14th. But that could change as we well know."

He leaned back against the couch and took a deep breath.

"This is actually happening?"

"Yes, it is. Are you freaking out?"

"A little."

She smiled.

"Certainly is an interesting turn of events, isn't it?"

"Certainly."

They smiled together and he leaned over and kissed her.

"I don't know what to say."

"Say you're going to get the credit card out because we're going to have to buy another crib."

He rolled his eyes and she hugged him.

"What do you want to bet I crave deep fried pickles again?"

"What do you want to bet I'm still not going to be able to find them?"

She smiled as William patted her stomach again.

"Baby, mommy," he repeated hoping to get the same happy reaction he had gotten before.

"Yes, your parade is about to get rained on," Mulder chuckled. William laughed too, clapping his hands before slobbering his mother with kisses.

"Thank you William," she chuckled, standing up from the floor.

"Where are you going honey?"

"Make dinner," she answered slowly.

"Let's go out."

"What?"

"The guys can come over and watch William and you and I can go out to dinner alone for the first time since... well in a long time. Plan?"

"It's a plan. But do you think the guys can get over here on such short notice?"

"What else do they have in their lives?"

"That's sad. And convenient."

"Go change, I'll call them."

"You're nice."

"I know."

"You're wonderful."

"I know that too."

She leaned down and kissed him then headed off to the bedroom to find something to wear.

* * *

"Stop looking at your phone."

"What?"

"You're looking at your phone every thirty seconds. He's fine."

"I know. It's just... we've never left him alone with anyone before."

"He's been with his grandmothers."

"I know, but the guys have never babysat before. I know I don't need to worry and everything is fine, but... I always put William to bed. Every night."

"I think he'll forgive you just this once."

"Don't patronize me."

"I'm not. I'm just saying when he grows up and writes a tell-all, I don't think tonight will be included in the list of things that scarred him for life."

"Are you saying we're going to scar him?"

"If he gets scarred it's all going to be once he leaves home."

She didn't look convinced.

"Honey, take a deep breath and forget about it. He's fine, he's having fun, and we should be too."

"I'll try."

"That's all I ask."

He reached across the table for her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Have I told you lately how much I appreciate everything you do?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again."

He chuckled.

"You know, when we were partners and just friends, I never thought it would get any better. I was completely happy with how things were. And then, suddenly we were a family, and I realized what had been missing."

"I think I knew it before you did, but I didn't want to admit it."

"Why not?"

"Because. Wanting a family with your partner is _so_ unprofessional."

"But one day you woke up and decided to forget professionalism, huh?"

"I suppose."

"When you asked me, did you know I was going to say yes?"

"I wasn't sure. I wanted you to say yes, but I knew that you had a lot of reasons to say no."

"What would you have done if I said no?"

She shook her head.

"I don't want to think about it."

"What was your plan?"

"If you said no, I was going to take that as a sign that it was a bad idea and I shouldn't do it."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I couldn't imagine having a child with anyone but you. You are the only person I had ever truly loved, besides my family and Emily. I wouldn't have been able to look at a baby and know that their biological father was just a number in a book, someone who meant nothing to me."

"Honey, I am so glad you didn't tell me that back then."

"Why?"

"It might have given me an ulcer."

"Before you gave me an answer... what did you do that whole week?"

"I did a lot of thinking. A lot of research on the procedure, on pregnancy, on infants. I played out different scenarios- what would happen if I said no, what if I said yes. I thought about you and what was best for you. I thought about your family. I couldn't come up with one logical reason to say no."

"None?"

"None that held as much water as the reasons to say yes."

"Wow."

"I was going to say yes all along, but I knew you wanted me to think about it. I even knew I was going to ask you to marry me."

"You did?"

"Yep. I was sure you would say no, but I was happily mistaken."

She smiled and he kissed the back of her hand.

"I wouldn't change it."

"Me neither. Well, I do regret that we never got to do all the dating stuff."

"I thought we did all that when we were working together."

"Maybe."

"I even brought you flowers a few times."

"When I was in the hospital."

"You think I would drop seventy-five bucks to say "happy Saturday?""

"If you had known what was good for you."

"I think I ended up lucking out anyway."

"I lucked out pretty good myself."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Did you guys have any problems?"

"Nah, he was great. Went to bed without a peep. Although he might need a bath in the morning. Frohike made spaghetti for dinner. We cleaned him up as best we could, but babies always seem to have crevices that you never find until it's too late."

Scully chuckled.

"Thanks for coming over guys."

"No problem. We like hanging out with William and you two need a break every once in a while."

"Yeah, call us next time too," Langley offered, putting his coat on. "I didn't get a chance to tell him all about JFK."

"I'm sure William will look forward to that," Mulder dead-panned while Scully just shook her head.

Mulder walked the guys out, then locked the front door and went up to William's room where Scully was standing at William's crib.

"You know," she started, her voice in a whisper. "I always loved you. I can't even remember a time when I didn't. But I didn't realize how much I loved you until I saw William for the first time. It was like suddenly the whole world made sense. I don't think either of us knew how messed up we were, and then he came along and fixed us. We didn't even know how badly we needed him."

He wrapped his arms around her, letting his hands rest on her stomach.

"He made us better people. I wonder how the new baby will change us."

"I don't know, Mulder. But I'm excited to find out."

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, knowing that no matter how much he kissed her, no matter what words he said, they would never properly convey how intensely he loved her.

"It's getting late, and you have to work tomorrow."

"Are you telling me to go to bed?"

"Yes, I am."

"Okay, but only if you come with me."

She grinned and leaned down to kiss William before following Mulder out the door.


	21. Life Is Beautiful

A/N: I'm an auntie again. Eye contact with a newborn is my new favorite thing in the whole entire world AND Mars. And when I kiss her nose and (even though it's a reflex) she smiles, I tear up and my heart melts. I am going to be a mess when I have kids of my own, I swear.

* * *

"Mommy," William whined, pulling on her hand. "Peas."

She groaned and closed her eyes as William drove a Hot Wheels car over her stomach.

"Play?"

"I can't play right now, honey. I don't feel good."

He laid his head on her chest and sighed.

"Daddy?"

"Daddy is at work. He'll be home soon."

"Side?"

"It's too cold to go outside."

He started to cry, throwing himself on the ground in a tantrum. Scully rolled her eyes. He had been doing this a lot lately and she could only imagine how bad it was going to get once the baby was born.

"William, stop it."

He kept wailing, then stood up and toddled to the back door. Scully peeled herself off the couch and chased after him.

"William you're not going outside."

He pounded on the door, and she leaned down and picked him up, trying to ignore the nausea in her stomach.

"You are going to bed."

"NO!"

"William, you're being ridiculous," she muttered, more to herself than her flailing one-year-old.

"Side!" he shouted as she plopped him into his crib.

"Go to sleep William."

He threw himself against his mattress, kicking his feet in anger.

"Do you need a swat?"

His motions stopped and he looked up at her with bleary eyes.

"That's what I thought. Go to sleep, and I don't want any of this nonsense when you wake up."

She left the room and shut the door behind her, then headed straight for her own bed. She wished that the morning sickness would go away, but it only seemed to be getting worse as the weeks passed. It had progressed into an all day sickness and there were days when she barely held down more than a cracker or two. Teena and Maggie had both been over, offering dry tortillas, ginger candies, and peppermint tea, but nothing seemed to work. The doctor had given her baby friendly nausea medication and that took the edge off, but still didn't help enough that she could call herself functional.

Mulder was going to work later in the mornings and coming home earlier in the afternoons so she could rest more. He was more worried about her than he let on, but she could read him well enough to know how he felt.

She climbed into her bed and pulled the covers up around her chin trying to forget the nausea. Her hand slid over her stomach and rubbed it gently. She was certain it was a girl this time, simply because this pregnancy was so different than William's. She had been so cold when she was pregnant with him, and with this pregnancy, she seemed to be warm all the time, despite the weight loss. She sighed and rolled over, rubbing her temples gently and taking a deep breath. Maybe the sickness would go away in a few weeks, once the placenta fully took over the hormonal growth of the baby.

She heard the door open and soft footsteps entering the room.

"Hey honey."

"Hi."

He sat down next to her and brushed a lock of hair off of her forehead.

"Feeling any better today?"

"Not really."

"Did you eat?"

"It didn't stay down."

"Where's William?"

"I put him to bed."

He checked his watch and grinned.

"I guess someone threw another tantrum."

"Exactly."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

She shook her head and sighed.

"No, I just need some sleep."

He toed his shoes off and climbed in with her.

"Me too," he said, laying down next to her. "I can always go for a nap."

She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to kiss her.

"I like when you come home early," she said, nuzzling into his chest.

"Not as much as I do."

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

"Hey, Skinner finally got someone to take over the X-Files."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We talked to her about it a while ago, but then she got involved in an investigation and the whole thing kind of fizzled out. But she's been in town for a week going over all the old files, meeting with Skinner and stuff... he's pretty confident that she'll do a good job."

"And how do you feel about this?"

"A little off balance I guess. It's weird to hand it over to a stranger. But if Skinner trusts her then I do too."

"Do you ever miss it? Being a field agent?"

"Every once in a while, but I'm happy doing what I do. It's nice to come home in one piece for a change."

"I agree."

"I hoped you would. I was thinking that tomorrow I would take William to visit my mom, and then we'd go grocery shopping. I figured you could stay home and get some uninterrupted rest."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to. You're exhausted and if I can help you to feel better then I will. Okay? Don't fight the good will, babe."

She rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I'll stay home. But if you're going to go grocery shopping, don't come home with nothing but junk food again."

"Oh alright."

"He says while crossing his fingers behind his back."

"Maybe."

"I can't wait until this morning sickness goes away so we can return to normal."

"That and you should start potty training."

"I should? Oh no, no. You're the boy, and he's a boy. This is your job."

"And she trounces me with logic once again."

"I guess it will all fall on me since I'm the one that's home."

"I wonder if the FBI offers potty-training leave."

"You are so weird."

"You married me."

"I was hormonal."

"I'm glad you were."

"Yeah, I'm pretty pleased myself."


	22. Testosterone Frenzy

A/N: I am a posting fiend lately. Oh well.

* * *

Scully rubbed her eyes and stretched as best she could before sighing. She'd been taking naps almost every day now, simply so she could keep up with William. He was into everything, he was everywhere and he never slowed down. The only way she could actually get in her nap was to take him into her bedroom and put a movie in while she snoozed. She blessed the days Mulder was home from work.

She could hear cheering from downstairs and she struggled out of bed. The Gunmen and Skinner were downstairs with Mulder, watching the Superbowl. She was surprised that their enthusiasm had not woken her up before. She ran a hand through her hair and ventured down stairs, finding the men in various places around the room, and William standing on the couch next to Skinner, patting the older man's head.

"Papa, ball!" William exclaimed, pointing at the screen. Skinner chuckled.

"Yes, they have the ball."

"Run! RUN!" he hollered, clapping his hands.

"Wrong team, Will."

"RUUUUNNN!"

The man was tackled and William stood still for a moment.

"Ah bam."

Scully snickered and William turned around and looked at her.

"Mommy!"

He held his hands out to her and she picked him up with a sigh.

"Who fed him bean dip?"

Five innocent faces stared back at her. William shrugged his shoulders as she reached for a napkin and wiped his face.

"Come on guys. 'Fess up."

"I might have let him have a bite or two," Skinner admitted.

"You're camping out here and changing all his diapers until it's out of his system."

"Is she serious?" Skinner muttered to Mulder.

"She's pregnant. She's always serious."

"Being pregnant doesn't make me deaf, Mulder," she said, twisting his ear. He batted her hand away and she took William into the other room.

"Mommy, ball! Run!"

"You need a bath Little Britches."

"Baby," he said, reaching down to pat her stomach.

"Yes that's a baby. One who is not very happy with your knee invading it's territory."

"Seeping?"

"No, kicking my bladder."

He smiled as she took him into the bathroom and began to fill the tub.

"Bath, bath bath!" he chanted, peeking into the tub.

"Your papa Walter is in big trouble. You have cheese sauce in your hair. Was your daddy even paying attention?"

"Ball."

"Figures," she muttered, peeling off his shirt and pants, leaving him in his diaper. He patted his belly and laughed.

"Baby!"

"No, you don't have a baby."

"Tummy."

"Your tummy is full of food. Mine is full of baby."

He nodded and reached into the tub for his rubber duck.

"Bath mommy."

She took his diaper off and plopped him in the tub where he immediately starting splashing. She covered his eyes and poured water over his head, causing him to shiver.

"Hey honey?" Mulder asked from the doorway, his hands in his pockets.

"Yes?"

"Um, would it be alright if... can the guys stay for dinner?"

"Is your homework done and your room clean?" she mocked with a grin.

"Yes mom."

"Yeah, they can stay. If you do the dishes."

"Deal."

He leaned down and kissed her then left the room.

"I have got to find some female friends William. This testosterone is driving me crazy."

"Cazey," he agreed, swimming his duck up her arm. She smiled and wiped a few droplets of water from his forehead before reaching for the shampoo and soaping him up. He giggled as she scrubbed his head then rinsed him down again.

"All clean."

"Keen!"

"Want to get out?"

He shook his head and made car noises, zooming the duck around the tub.

"You are your daddy's child."

"Daddy!"

"You Mulder men have a one track mind."

William clapped and lifted his arms up to her.

"Mommy."

She grabbed a towel from the counter and lifted him out of the tub, drying him quickly.

"Now that is how little boys should smell," she commented. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her neck, nuzzling her shoulder.

"Love," he whispered. She smiled and hugged him. He had only just started saying that, and it was almost better than when he had said mommy the first time.

"I love you too, buddy."

She picked him up and carried him into his room where she retrieved a diaper and slipped it on him before he could protest. He would run around naked all day if she would let him.

"Might as well put you in your jammies now."

"Kay."

She wrestled him into his footie pajamas and blew a zerbert on his stomach before zipping them up. He giggled and kicked his legs.

"Mommy."

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

For some reason this cracked him up. Which in turn cracked her up, which made Mulder come into the room to see what he was missing.

"Daddy!"

"William you sound just like a live studio audience."

He picked his son up and Scully sighed.

"You only take him when he's clean."

"You napped for three hours. We're even."

"What if I want him for a while?"

"William, do you want mommy or daddy?"

"Mommy!"

"I win."

He rolled his eyes.

"Okay bud, but I'm gonna watch football and you're not."

He handed William to Scully and headed for the living room.

"Oh, should I just order pizza?" he asked.

"After all that crap you guys ate today? No. I'll make something. Something substantial. I don't want you all to keel over and die tomorrow."

"You're the best wife in the whole entire world."

"I do what I can."

William babbled to himself as they walked into the kitchen and she set him down in the high chair.

"Nack?"

"You seriously want a snack? You're kidding."

He pounded on his tray with a laugh, and she sighed and got a piece of bread for him. His eyes grew wide as he lunged for it.

"You don't want anything on it?" she asked as he took an enthusiastic bite. "Alright, but you'd better eat the crust."

She grabbed two packages of spaghetti noodles from the cupboard and set them on the counter before pulling some hamburger out of the fridge. She knew that the spaghetti might require another bath for William, but it was really the only thing that she had in surplus for all five men. Sometimes she felt like she was cooking for a logging company or something else where the men were just as burly and hungry. William ate as much as a 10 year old child it seemed, and Mulder was always rooting around in the fridge for something else to eat.

"Can I help you with anything?" Byers asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

"No, I've got it. Why aren't you watching the game?"

"I'm not really into football. Superbowl is good, but it gets old after a while. I usually only watch for the commercials."

"Man after my own heart."

He smiled.

"Did Mulder tell you that Langley is going out of town for a few months?"

"No. Where's he going?"

"There's some Dungeons and Dragons circuit. I guess you just travel to different towns and play other people."

"Like a nerd's dating service."

"Something like that."

"I can't believe he's actually going to leave that dungeon of yours. It'll be like a kid going to camp for the first time."

"And I'm trying to convince Frohike to go visit his mom so I can finally get the office cleaned out."

"Hoping to entertain some women there?" she teased.

"Actually yes."

She grinned.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I met her at the coffee shop a while back."

"What do the guys think about this?"

"I didn't tell them yet. They aren't exactly enthusiastic about any of us moving on to another phase in life."

"If they give you any trouble let me know."

"Well that fight might not be fair."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you could beat them to a pulp."

She grinned.

"Byers, commercial break!" Frohike shouted from the other room.

"Coming!"

Scully just shook her head. It was like having six kids, not one.

* * *

By the time the house was cleaned up and William was in bed, it was almost after 11. Scully sighed and rubbed her eyes, reaching down to pick up a few toys that had ended up under the table.

"Honey, go to bed."

"I'm fine."

"Stop worrying about the house and go to bed. You're exhausted and William is going to be up in a few hours with a diaper. Go lay down. I'll take care of everything out here."

"Alright." She went up the stairs and changed her clothes, falling somewhat gracefully into bed just as Mulder came into the room. He shut the light off and crawled into bed behind her.

"Thank you."

"For what?" she asked, turning to look at him curiously.

"For today. I know you were tired but you put up with the guys being here anyway. I appreciate it."

"Honey it wasn't a big deal."

"Well maybe not, but still. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

He slid his hand around and rested it on her stomach.

"You're bigger this time than you were with William."

"Don't remind me."

"You look cute."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"What time is our appointment?"

"3:00. Will you be able to make it?"

"I think so. Are we going to find out what it is?"

"I don't know."

"That doesn't help me."

"Let's just decide tomorrow."

"Alright. Can I call dibs on predicting a girl?"

"You and the guys bet, didn't you?"

"Me and Skinner think girl and the Gunmen think boy. And you think...?"

"Healthy."

"Party pooper."

"I don't care what it is. It would be nice to have a girl, but William needs a brother. Either way it doesn't matter to me."

"Well alright."

"Goodnight, honey."

"Goodnight."


	23. Simple Love

William sat on the floor in the living room, running his toy bus back and forth across the carpet. He babbled happily, stopping every once in a while to take some of the toy people out of the bus and replace them with others. He clapped his hands and pressed down on the driver and cackled with delight as the bus began to play music.

_"The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town!"_

"Tan!" he hollered along with the song.

Scully sighed and rubbed her head. She was ready to take the batteries out of all his toys. Or just throw out the toys. Either way, they were driving her crazy.

"William, do you want lunch?"

He shook his head and pressed the driver again.

"Do you want to play outside? None of your outside toys make noise."

He shook his head once more.

"Your daddy had better think of something fun to do when he gets home or my brain is going to melt."

William stood up from the floor and walked over to the bookcase. He pulled out several paperback books and handed them to his mother before climbing up on the couch with her.

"Thank you for picking something easy," she said, opening the first book. It was full of pictures and had no words in it, so William pointed at the objects and grunted.

"That's a toothbrush."

"Toobuh," he said, nodding his head.

"And that is a car."

"Vroom, vroom!"

"You like cars, don't you?"

"Vroom, vroom."

"That's a kitty."

"Kiki."

"And that is a bird."

"Bud."

He turned the page and began to clap excitedly.

"Mommy! Dog!"

"Yes, a big dog. Do you know what a dog says?"

"Wrrrrrfff."

"That's right."

"Daddy?"

"Daddy is at work He'll be back later."

"Side?"

"Now you want to go outside? You are such a difficult child."

He just grinned up at her.

"You melt my heart, kid."

She stood up and found his shoes by the door.

"I need your right foot for this shoe. Do you know which foot is your right one?"

He shook his head.

"It's this one!" she exclaimed, grabbing his foot and tickling it. He roared with laughter and kicked to get away from her.

"No, mommy!"

She wrangled his foot into his shoe and Velcroed it tightly.

"Other foot."

He handed her his right foot again, then giggled.

"William, you're a stinker!" she said, tickling his tummy. He squealed and tried to roll away but she caught him in a hug and kissed his face.

"Mommy!" he laughed, as the tickling slowed. "'Gen!"

"I can't do that again, buddy. I'm wiped out."

He sighed a little and patted her face.

"Side."

"We've got to put your other shoe on first."

He handed her the shoe and she set to work, pulling fuzz out of the Velcro and reciting a poem to him that her mother had recited to her years ago.

"Diddle diddle dumpling my son John. Went to be with his stockings on. One shoe off and one shoe on. Diddle diddle dumpling my son John."

She finally got the shoe clean and slipped it on his foot. He smiled and stomped his foot for emphasis.

"Side mommy."

"That requires me getting up off the floor, doesn't it?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled until she stood up and retrieved his jacket from the closet.

"Do you want to dig in your sandbox?"

"Sand!"

He followed her outside, chanting "sand, sand, sand!" the whole way. She smiled to herself and opened the back door, then helped her son down the patio steps. He dashed off to his sandbox and climbed in, plopping down in the middle. He picked up a small shovel and started to fling sand everywhere.

"William, sand stays in the box, remember?"

He grinned up at her and handed her a small rake.

"Pay, mommy."

She sat down on the side of the box and they spent the next half hour digging and refilling holes. It was kind of relaxing, and she was starting to get sleepy by the time William stood up and dropped his shovel.

"Do you want to eat some lunch and take a nap?"

He headed towards the house and crawled up the back steps, then pulled on the door. It took her a few moments to get up, but she finally managed, and opened the door for him.

"Do you want some of Daddy's meatloaf for lunch?"

He looked up at her and practically rolled his eyes.

"That's what I thought," she giggled, setting him in his highchair. "How about a cheese sandwich?"

"Teese!"

"Cheese it is."

She gave him a few animal crackers to occupy him while she made the sandwiches. He talked to himself quietly, chomping down on a cracker every few moments and exclaiming "Yum!" For some reason, he thought that this was the proper protocol for eating.

"Mo, mommy."

"Your sandwich is almost done. Just be patient."

"Waddah."

"What do you say?"

"Peas."

She handed him his sipper cup and for the first time wondered how long it had been since he'd had a bottle. Over a year, more than likely. They had made the switch over to sipper cups as soon as he was able to hold them himself. They were easier to wash and harder for him to roll under the couch. It was a win-win situation, except that it meant he was growing up. And now that another baby was on the way, she was going to miss things. Now she was able to catalogue every smile, every laugh, even every temper tantrum. But once the baby was born, she would have to divide her time in half. Maybe even 60/40.

She sighed. She would just have to figure something out.

* * *

Mulder loved Fridays. Fridays meant freedom. Two whole days with nothing to worry about except playing with William and spending time with Scully. He never thought he would enjoy just hanging out at home, but there was something so comforting about it. It was simple and easy and he had never enjoyed anything more in his life.

He stepped through the garage door and was met with silence. It wasn't usually quiet in the house when he came home, and immediately his spidey-sense was tingling. He walked up the stairs quietly and peeked into William's room. Scully and William were asleep in the rocking chair. He smiled and watched them for a moment. Scully had one arm wrapped around their son, while the other hand was in danger of dropping "Goodnight Moon." He rescued the book from clunking to the floor, then grabbed a blanket from William's crib and settled it over them. Scully stirred just slightly, but fell back to sleep. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, then left the room.

Scully joined him in the kitchen half an hour later, rubbing her eyes and carrying William on her hip.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked as Mulder took William from her.

"You looked so cute."

"So you stood there and stared at us?"

He rolled his eyes and rubbed William's back.

"You still tired buddy, or do you want to play?"

"Pay," William answered, yawning a little. "Mommy."

"You and daddy can play, I need to make dinner."

"No you don't. Chinese is on it's way."

"You're wonderful."

He nodded in agreement and took William into the other room.

"Want to play with your basketball?"

William grinned and scrambled down from his fathers arms to grab his mini basketball. He raised it above his head and walked towards his basketball hoop. He let out a whoop and then threw the ball into the basket. Mulder and Scully cheered for him and he picked up the ball again.

"Daddy pay."

Mulder shot the ball into the hoop.

"Slam Dunk! Rip City! The crowd goes wild!" he cheered, picking William up and throwing him in the air. The toddler laughed and clapped his hands.

"'Gen, daddy!"

Mulder chuckled and gently put William head first into the basket. He roared with laughter.

"Mommy!"

"Mulder," she chuckled, sitting down on the couch. "All the blood is going to rush to his head."

"Makes him smarter."

She rolled her eyes as Mulder set William down on the ground.

"Wow," he whispered, patting his head.

The doorbell rang and Mulder scooped William up from the floor.

"Come on buddy, time for dinner."

* * *

"Who has sand between his toes?" Mulder sing-songed from the bathroom. William laughed and splashed at the water. "And sand in your belly button too? And your ears?"

Scully grinned and leaned against the door frame, watching her boys play together. They were perfectly happy to do mundane things like bath time and playing with toy cars. All they seemed to need was each other. She absentmindedly rubbed a hand over her stomach. She was happier each day than she was the last. And it wasn't about what she had or didn't have. It was just because of the simplicity of love.


	24. This Is It

A/N: Yes, they found out the sex of the baby. No you're not going to know until it is born. How 'bout them apples?

* * *

"William you be good for daddy," Scully said, stooping down to kiss her son. He smiled at her and returned a kiss to her cheek before patting her stomach.

"Bye baby," he said reverently. Scully smiled and pushed his brown hair off of his forehead.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Honey, don't worry about the grocery store. We can go later. Go get your hair done and come home. Don't exhaust yourself."

"I won't. If I'm not up to it, I promise I will come home right away."

"Alright. Drive safe."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too."

She slipped out the garage door and overheard Mulder talking to William.

"Hey buddy want to play in the mud?"

She just sighed and got into the car.

She adjusted the air conditioner and radio, then backed out of the garage. It was nearing the end of her pregnancy, and she wanted nothing more than to go into labor. Because the end of her pregnancy with William had been spent in the hospital, she hadn't had to deal as much with maneuverability issues. She hated the fact that she waddled now, and she constantly felt like her stomach was in the way. Mulder kept telling her she looked wonderful and that she was still glowing, but she figured he was lying. She just kept reminding herself that she only had one week left. One week, that's all. Of course once the baby was born, she would have twice the diaper changes, twice the crying and half the sleep.

She was looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time.

She sighed to herself, feeling a little lost without William in the back seat. He usually chattered away while she drove, and now her concentration was breaking down without his little voice. She had had to reign in her road rage after he had repeated things she had shouted at other drivers. Fortunately he hadn't remembered the words for later use.

She pulled into the parking lot of her salon and turned the car off. It had been months since she'd had a trim, not to mention a cut and nice shampoo, and she was looking forward to turning her mind off for a little while.

The bell rang on the door as she entered, and her favorite hairdresser came out of the back room.

"Dana! We've been waiting for you all morning."

"Waiting for me?"

"Mulder made an appointment last week. Said he was going to get you out of the house if it killed him."

"I wondered what was going on when he suggested this last night. I told him I didn't have an appointment and he told me to just walk in, that you wouldn't care."

"He duped you."

"Figures."

"How are you doing? You look great."

"I feel gigantic. I haven't seen my feet in about two months. They probably look terrible."

"Well let's do a pedicure today then too."

"Julia, you spoil me."

"Well, you're my oldest customer. Not oldest like you're old. I have worked on people with blue hair lately. I just mean old like I've known you the longest."

"Since I started with the FBI, I think."

"You came in here after your first case, right? Said you probably weren't going to have time to do much with your hair anymore and you needed it shorter."

"If I knew then what I know now... I might have run screaming for the hills."

Julia laughed and led her over to a shampooing sink.

"Well you seem to be pretty happy now. How's William doing?"

"He's getting big. Follows his dad everywhere. He thinks cars are the greatest things in the world. He'll stand at the window for hours, waiting for the garbage man to come."

"Is he ready for the baby?"

"I have no idea. We tried to prepare him as best we could, but I don't think he really understands that there will be another person in the house."

"I guess you can only do so much," she said, pumping the shampoo into her hand and working it into a lather. "Michael was three when Jake was born. He was pretty excited about a new baby, but that wore off once Jake started crying all night. He wasn't too thrilled with him for a while, but now they're best friends. It just takes time."

"And here I've been telling myself that it will be an instant bond," she deadpanned.

"Do you know what you're having?"

"We found out a while ago, but we're not telling anyone. My mom isn't too happy about that."

"I would guess not."

"We talked about it for a long time. We weren't sure if we wanted to find out or not, but I guess curiosity won out in the end. It's easier to tell William he's going to have a little something rather than leave it vague."

"And a little something isn't vague?"

"We tell him the real word."

"You're not going to spill?"

"Nope. That was the agreement. No words to anyone."

"You've always been stubborn, Dana."

"At least I'm predictable."

"I'll give you that. Are you ready for two kids?"

"I have to be. This baby is due in a week. And I swear if it doesn't come out, I am going to have to take drastic measures."

"Such as?"

"Mulder's mom offered to find me some castor oil."

"That stuff is disgusting. I tried it with Ayla."

"Did it work?"

"She was born six hours later."

"You don't happen to have any sitting around here, do you?"

"Sorry."

"Oh well. It will happen when it happens."

"So what color did you paint the room?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because then you could guess what it is! And I won't tell you names either."

"Then you'll have to bring mystery baby back in here after it's born."

"I will."

* * *

"Honey I'm home!"

"And I've had a hard day. Pour me a cold one and oh by the way..." Mulder finished, coming around the corner. She rolled her eyes.

"Can you help me bring the groceries in?"

"I would be much obliged, pretty lady," he drawled following her out to the garage. "You shopped for an army."

"No, I shopped for you, Sir Eats A Lot."

"My metabolism is not my fault."

"Your cookie addiction is."

"You're an enabler!" he exclaimed, taking a few bags out of the trunk.

"See, you really do need me."

He chuckled and finished bringing in the rest of the groceries.

"Hon, where's William?"

"Conked out on our bed. I let him play outside for a while and it really tuckered him out."

"Usually does the trick."

"Oh hey, I didn't notice your hair. Looks nice."

"Thanks."

"Did you put some color in it? It looks a little lighter around your face."

"No, it's just the way she cut it. Thanks for making the appointment."

"You're welcome. I thought you deserved a little pampering once in a while."

"And the massage chair you got me for mother's day wasn't enough?"

"I felt guilty for using it when you weren't watching."

She laughed and walked over to hug him.

"Thank you for being a good daddy."

"Thank you for being a good mommy."

She leaned up and kissed him softly, running her fingers through his hair.

"I need to put the milk away," she said.

"You're killing me here, Smalls."

She laughed and headed for the refrigerator.

"Would you hand me the bag with the vegetables in it?"

He did so, then set to work putting away the non-perishables. They worked quietly together before she finally sighed and sat down at the table.

"I need a nap."

"Then go take one. You have nothing but time."

"I don't think I can move again."

"Want me to carry you?"

"I don't think you can lift me anymore."

"I guess you could sleep in the chair."

"I guess."

"I'm going to check on William. I'll be right back."

He returned a few minutes later with a happy boy trailing behind him.

"Mommy!" William exclaimed, running over and hugging her.

"Hi buddy."

He grinned and pointed to his high chair.

"Are you hungry?"

He nodded and Mulder set him in the chair.

"Do you want a banana?"

"Nope."

"Some watermelon?"

"Nope."

"What do you want?"

"Teese!"

"I should have known. Scully, you want me to whip up some lunch for you?"

She shook her head.

"Honey?" he asked, concerned when she didn't meet his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Contraction," she croaked out.

"What? For real?"

"I've been having them all day, but this is the first really big one. I guess they've been getting closer together."

"Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"No. Not yet. Feed William and then we'll call the doctor."

"Do you want to lay down?"

"Yeah."

He helped her to her feet and she went into the other room to lay down on the couch.

Mulder fed William some cheese and crackers and managed to get some applesauce in him too.

"Honey, how are you doing?"

"We'd better call the doctor. I think this is it."


	25. Mine!

A/N: I swore I would never do another birth chapter. But as they say "That's what you get folks, for making whoopee." HahahahaHA!

* * *

"Honey, I hope you don't hate me."

"I don't hate you. Not right this minute. As soon as another contraction hits, I very well may want to maim you."

Mulder just sighed and brushed her hair back from her forehead. They had been at the hospital for four hours now, and Scully still seemed to be in a pretty good mood. When her contractions came she would screw up her face and grow silent for the duration, but once they were over she would smile up at him and say "They're not so bad."

She was probably lying.

"Can I get anything for you?"

"Ice-chips. And they said I could have juice."

"What kind do you want?"

"Whatever kind your hand touches first."

He smiled and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. He asked the nurse for some apple juice, then filled a pitcher with ice from the machine. He made a quick call to Maggie to check on William, then returned to the room. Scully was channel surfing, making disgusted faces at just about everything that was on.

"What's the matter?"

"Everything is garbage. Now I remember why we only watch the news and baseball anymore."

"It can't be that bad."

"I will not have our child come into the world while The _Young and the Restless_ plays in the background."

"At least you have your standards."

She grinned and took a sip of the juice he offered her.

"We should call mom and see how William is."

"I just got off the phone with her. She says he's fine. He walked around the house and introduced himself to all of her plants."

"Really?"

"He would grab a leaf and shake it and say "I Wiwum. Hi." She said that she was waiting for the camcorder battery to charge and then she was going to take a video of it."

She laughed.

"He is so your son."

"At least he was born knowing that there is intelligent life out there."

"In house plants?"

"Start them young, raise them right."

She covered her face and shook her head.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

She was tired. She was in pain. She was experiencing violent tendencies. She had gripped Mulder's hand so tightly that her nails left imprints. He was now running a cool washcloth over her face between contractions, and staying at least arms length away during.

"Mulder I need that epidural."

"They said the anesthesiologist was on his way."

"What is he, walking on his hands to get here?"

"Honey-"

"Don't honey me right now, bucko. I'll pummel you."

"Duly noted. Of course you'll have to nurse me back to health and take care of a toddler and a newborn."

She chucked an ice-chip at his head.

"Nice shootin' Tex."

She glared the nastiest glare he had ever seen in his life.

"Mulder, despite the pain I am in, I have been a good sport about your teasing up until now. But it is really to the point where murder is looking mighty tempting. So shut your mouth or I will shut it for you."

His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped open.

"Stick that in your juice box and suck it."

"Yes ma'am."

The door opened and her doctor came in with a smile.

"Hi Dana. I just saw your anesthesiologist. He'll be here in about 10 minutes."

"Ten minutes? Is he a sadist as a second career, or is it just a hobby?"

"Just a hobby as far as I know, but I think he's avoiding going pro so he can compete in the Olympics."

"Shannon, I swear..."

"Just trying to distract you from the pain."

"Not helping."

"I'll go see if I can speed him up."

She practically ran out of the room and Mulder (bravely) sat down on next to Scully.

"What do you want?"

"I just want to apologize. I should have been encouraging you this whole time, not teasing."

"It's okay."

"It's not okay, honey. I shouldn't have done it, and I'm sorry."

She smiled a little and tugged on his shirt.

"If you ever do something like that again," she threatened in a low whisper, "let's just say it might be better if you were ignorant of what I would do to you."

"I agree."

She released him and he let out a relieved sigh as he sank back in the chair next to her bed.

"Can I do anything for you?"

"Go find that sorry excuse for a doctor and drag him in here or I am going to remove his spleen."

"No need for that, I'm right here," the doctor said as he came into the room. "I got tied up a few rooms down. The woman is pregnant with twins and the doctor thinks they could be around 8 pounds each."

Scully just stared at him, oblivious to the suffering of the other woman. She wasn't in the mood for stories like that.

"Okay, so I guess we'll get started," he almost stuttered. Mulder bit his lip. He hadn't seen a man that nervous since the time Scully had dressed down a local M.E. in front of about a dozen witnesses. She was feisty, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't proud of her.

* * *

Mulder sighed and rubbed his eyes as he stepped out of the room. It was closing in on ten p.m. and he knew the family was getting tired. William should have gone to bed over an hour ago, but the grandmas had insisted on keeping him up until the baby was born.

He walked slowly to the waiting room, trying to stifle the yawns. He opened the wooden door and found Maggie and Teena talking quietly in the corner while William played with a truck on the floor.

"Daddy!" William shouted, standing up quickly.

"Fox, is the baby here?" Maggie asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes."

"WELL?!?" Teena fairly screeched, surprising them all.

"Elizabeth Samantha Joy."

"A girl! I knew it would be a girl!" Maggie squealed. "How big is she?"

"Six pounds even. She's beautiful."

"Can we see her?"

"We want William to see her first. Give us ten minutes and then you can come in."

They nodded and he picked William up and walked towards the room.

"Are you ready to see your sister?"

"Mm-hmm."

"What's her name?"

"Eh-yie."

"Ellie, that's right. Now mommy's very tired, and so is Ellie, so you need to use a quiet voice, okay?"

"Okay," he whispered with a smile. Mulder opened the door and they stepped through quietly.

"Hi William," Scully said, smiling up at him.

"Hi Mommy."

Mulder set him down on the bed and he crawled up next to his mother, reaching out hesitantly to touch the bundle in her arms.

"Bankies."

Scully grinned and tipped the blankets so he could see better.

"That's your sister in there, honey."

"Eh-yie," he clarified, staring at her. "Yitt-oh."

"She's very little. Do you want to hold her?"

He nodded and Mulder reached over to help get Ellie situated in his arms.

"What do you think, William?"

"Pitty," he answered with a nod.

"Should we keep her?"

"Mine."

Scully smiled and kissed the top of his head. Everything would be just fine.

They sat quietly for a while, enjoying the sight of their two children together. William hummed softly, probably not even aware he was doing it. They had spent a lot of time telling him about being a big brother, and using teddy bears to show him how to hold his new sister. He wasn't even two yet, but had caught on quickly.

There was a soft knock on the door and the grandmas entered quietly.

"She's beautiful," Maggie breathed, looking down at her newest grandchild. "Teena, she looks just like those baby pictures of Samantha, doesn't she?"

"She really does. I see a lot of Dana in her though."

"Well who's going to hold her first?" Mulder asked.

"I held William first, so it's Maggie's turn."

Mulder nodded.

"William, can Grammy hold Ellie?"

"No, mine!"

"Can you share, just for a little bit?"

"My Eh-yie!"

"Yes, she's your sister, but you need to share, okay?"

He sighed in defeat as they took the baby from him. He snuggled up to Scully and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

"It's past your bedtime. You're tired, aren't you, buddy?" she whispered, stroking his hair away from his face. He sighed and closed his eyes, reaching up to take a strand of her hair in his fingers. He was beyond sleepy and firmly exhausted.

The grandmas ooh'ed and ahh'ed over Ellie for a long time before finally deciding to leave. Teena took the sleeping William from Scully and kissed his forehead.

"I'll bring him back in the morning so you can all go home together."

"Thanks."

"I'll walk you out, mom," Mulder offered, handing Ellie to Maggie, then escorting his mother to the door.

"So how are you feeling honey?" Maggie asked, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

"I'm tired."

"How long is Fox going to take off of work?"

"Probably around 2 weeks. He might stay home a little longer if we aren't able to get into a good schedule."

"I'm glad he can be home. You dad was out to sea when Charles was born. It was awful."

"I bet."

"When did you decide on Elizabeth?"

"About two months ago. We had picked Andrew, Benjamin or Evan for a boy and Elizabeth, Charlotte, or Lauren for a girl. William had a hard time saying most of them though. Lottie came out "Yah-yee" and Lauren never came out the same at all. So Ellie won over. Plus I remembered having a doll named Elizabeth when I was little."

"You did. Three of them I think. I bet Ellie could fit into some of those doll's clothes."

"She probably could. She looks so much smaller than William did."

"Yeah. She has such dark hair. I wonder if it will lighten like yours did."

"Maybe."

They sat quietly for a while before Ellie started to stir.

"I think someone is hungry."

"Probably."

Maggie handed her granddaughter over.

"I'm going to go home and get some sleep. And you should feed her and get some sleep yourself."

"I will. Thanks mom."

"Bye, Dana. Bye sweet Ellie."

She kissed them both and left the room. Scully stared down at her squawking daughter and smiled.

"Just you and me kid. Do I rock your world?"

Ellie grew quiet at her mother's voice, and the two of them locked eyes. They shared an intense gaze for a long moment before Scully had to blink.

"You my girl, are a force to be reckoned with."

Ellie just stared.

"You're going to wrap your daddy around your finger, aren't you?"

"I think she already did," Mulder said as he stepped through the door. He smiled and sat down next to them, leaning over to kiss Ellie's forehead.

"Was William okay going with your mom?"

"He didn't wake up when we put him in the car, but I think he'll be fine. He loves being with her."

"That's true."

"I told her to come back around nine tomorrow."

"Okay."

He slid his arm around her shoulders and she sighed as she rested her head on his chest.

"You did a good job, honey. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you."

He tipped her chin up and kissed her softly.

"Thank you for making me a daddy again."

She snorted out a laugh as Ellie started to fuss once more.

"Anytime, Mulder. Anytime."


	26. Big Brothers

A/N: Well now what, loyal readers? Taking all suggestions. Real suggestions will be entertained. Flames will be used to set Tea Leoni's hair on fire. Ha, just kidding. And by the way, yes, I do steal things from real life, such as most things William has ever said or done. The curse of being an Auntie.

* * *

"Baby Eh-yie, baby Eh-yie."

Scully heard the childish singing from where she was standing in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. She listened for a moment as William continued to sing to his sister.

"Dote cwy baby Eh-yie. Baby Eh-yie, baby Eh-yie."

She smiled and finished brushing her teeth, then snagged the camera from her bedroom and went into the living room where she had left Ellie in her bouncy seat. William was standing over her with his toy guitar (or "tu-tar" as he called it), swaying back and forth and singing for all he was worth. Ellie was staring up at him, either terrified or entranced by her brother's antics.

Scully took a few pictures before William stopped singing and tossed his guitar to the side, in search of a better toy. Ellie screwed up her face and let out a whimper now that her entertainment was gone. William reached over and absentmindedly patted her head, which seemed to satisfy her.

"Thanks for taking care of Ellie for a little while, William," Scully said, setting the camera down on the coffee table and joining him on the floor.

"Ok," he replied with a smile. "Vroom-vroom, Eh-yie."

He drove a toy car up and down her leg and she glanced down at it, wrinkling her nose. She was only 3 weeks old, and her expressions left much to be desired, but at least she tried. Mulder claimed that she was like Scully- the expression didn't have to be anything fancy for everyone to know exactly what she was thinking.

"William, if you go and get your shoes on, we'll go to the store."

"Shoes?"

"Yes. They're by the door."

He toddled off in search of his shoes, while Scully moved Ellie from her bouncy chair to her carseat. Almost instantly after the straps were clicked into place, Ellie dozed off. William returned to the room carrying his shoes, which were new and almost needed to be replaced. He was growing way too fast. He was suddenly talking more, and even though most of his words were unintelligible, he was stringing sentences together already.

Scully helped him into the shoes and let him secure the Velcro before she stood up from the floor and grabbed Ellie's carseat and the diaper bag, which had grown exponentially. William followed her out to the garage where she secured both kids in the car before getting in herself.

"Sto, mommy?" William asked after a few moments, staring out the window.

"Yep, we're going to the grocery store."

"Cookies?"

"We don't need any more cookies."

"Ok."

"How's your sister doing?"

"Seepin'," he answered, kicking his feet.

She smiled and glanced in the rearview mirror at him. He had one finger stuck in his mouth while his other hand clutched his plastic dump truck protectively. She was proud of him for how well he had adjusted to having a baby in the house. Never once had he shown jealousy. There had been a few times when he had clapped his hand over his ears and screamed at her to be quiet when she cried, but other than that, he had been totally loving and gentle with her. He wouldn't even go to bed until he had kissed her goodnight.

She pulled the car into a space and opened the side door to get Ellie out first. William had himself almost unbuckled by the time she got around to his side and she was reminded again how big he was. He held her hand as they crossed the parking lot to the store, and waited patiently while she secured Ellie's carseat into the shopping cart.

"William would you like to walk or ride today?" she asked, trying to figure out how to do this with two kids. This was the first time they were going anywhere without Mulder, and she was a little concerned at her lack of help.

"Wide," he decided finally, rocking back and forth on his feet. She lifted him up and placed him in the cart where he kneeled and held on to the side.

"Go, mommy," he said, turning around to look at her briefly.

"Alright, alright," she answered with a smile before heading towards the bakery.

* * *

Two hours, two diaper changes, and one cookie induced temper tantrum later, they were home. The thought of getting both kids out of the car, and carrying in all the groceries made Scully want to cry. She was so tired that she was tempted to just bring in the perishables and let everything else stay outside for a while. But with her luck she was bound to forget a container of sour cream or a gallon of milk, and then the car would stink for months.

She got out of the car, making sure her keys were in her pocket and there was no chance she could accidentally lock herself away from one or both kids, then opened William's door and helped him to climb out.

"Eh-yie!" he shouted, pointing at his sister. "Get Eh-yie!"

"I'll get her," she chuckled, opening the door and letting him into the house. "Go play with your cars."

She turned back to the car and got Ellie, who was still sleeping, and carried her into the living room.

"I'm going to get the groceries out. Can you keep an eye on your sister?"

"Ok," he agreed, peering over at the sleeping infant. He stroked her hand gently and she gripped his finger in her sleep. The first time she had done this it had scared him to death, but Mulder had explained to him that it was Ellie's way of holding hands. William let Ellie keep his finger wrapped in hers while he drove his car along the carpet next to her. Every few moments he would look at her to make sure she was still okay.

By the time Scully finished putting the groceries away, William had fallen asleep next to Ellie, his finger still gripped in her hand. Scully smiled down at them and grabbed the camera, glad she had not put it away earlier. A few more pictures were added to the collection before she sat down on the couch and fell asleep herself.

It wasn't even fifteen minutes later when she felt a warm hand on her arm.

"Mommy. Eh-yie cwyin'."

She sat up and rubbed her eyes a little.

"Okay, I'll feed her."

"Mommy, hungwee."

"I'll fix you some lunch in a minute," she said, unstrapping Ellie from the carseat. "I need to deal with your sister first."

He gave her the Mulder puppy face and she sighed.

"Just fifteen minutes, honey. Go get your juice cup out of the fridge."

"Ok," he agreed, walking into the kitchen. She heard the door open and then a huff of frustration.

"Mommy!"

"What?"

"Cup!"

"It's on the shelf, honey."

"Nope."

She rolled her eyes and looked down at her half sleeping, half nursing daughter.

"Men," she muttered. Ellie looked up at her for a moment, then went back to the task at hand.

"Buddy, it's on the shelf, right by the milk. It's a blue cup."

"Boo!" he hollered before slamming the fridge and scampering back to the living room, cup in hand. He crawled up on the couch next to her and reached under the blanket to touch Ellie's feet.

"Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"Eh-yie ee-din'?"

"Yes, she's eating, but she doesn't like to be disturbed, remember?"

He nodded his head and took a sip of his juice, still stroking Ellie's foot gently.

"Do you like your sister, William?"

"Ok."

"Think we should keep her still?"

"Ok."

She chuckled and pulled him closer, kissing his soft hair.

"I love you William."

"Love ooo, mommy."

* * *

"What's shakin', bacon?" Mulder asked when Scully greeted him at the door. She smiled and kissed him.

"Nothing much."

"Where are the kids?"

"Ellie is asleep, and William is playing with his trains. Although he has been kind of quiet, I should go check on him.

"I'll go. I have to change anyway."

He returned a few minutes later with Ellie in his arms, and William galloping behind him.

"She's up."

"She shouldn't be. Did you wake her up? Mulder?"

"Well..." he said by way of apology. She rolled her eyes as he cradled their daughter in his arms, talking to her non-sensically.

"The doctor called today."

"Yeah?"

"He said it's perfectly safe for Ellie to fly, but we should watch her in case she picks up a cold. He said it's not likely this time of year though."

"So I guess this means we're going to San Diego."

"Unless you really are putting your foot down."

"I would, but your mom wouldn't be happy. She already told me that she wants the whole family together for the 4th of July. I can't crush her dreams like that."

"So we're going?"

"We're going. You hear that, Ellie? You're going to meet your grouchy uncle Bill. You should get used to his mean comments and evil glares while you're this young, so you can build up immunity to them. Then in the future when he insults you, it won't bother you so much."

"Mulder..."

"What? I'm just parenting here."

She rolled her eyes.

"I don't know what to do with you."

"I could think of something."

"Well don't."

He chuckled as William tugged on Scully's hand. She picked him up and he wrapped his arms around her neck before settling his head onto her shoulder.

"At least he's too young to understand the impending doom."

He barely escaped the dishtowel she aimed at his butt.


	27. Pain on a Plane

A/N: I have recently started another story/project, but I am super hesitant to post it, so until I figure out where it is going/what I am doing/if other people would really want to read it, I am doing this.

* * *

"Did you get the diaper bag?" Mulder asked, putting the carryon into the overhead compartment.

"Yes, I did."

"William's toys?"

"Mom has them."

"What about-"

"I have Ellie, and mom has William. We're good. Now sit down."

He sighed and obeyed, plopping down in the aisle seat and trying unsuccessfully to stretch out just a little. He was glad that Maggie had decided to fly out to San Diego with them. It would be nice to have an extra set of hands for the six hour plane ride.

William bounced up and down on Maggie's lap, while she held on to the straps of his overalls.

"Gammy, panes."

"Look William, there's a helicopter too. Can you say helicopter?"

"Hocater," he answered, pushing himself closer to the window. "We go?"

"We'll go soon. Just be patient."

He nodded and looked over at Scully.

"Wadder?"

She sighed and reached down into the diaper bag for his sippy cup of water. He snatched it from her began to drink, turning the cup upside down. He had guzzled half of it before he came up for air, and he sighed and wiped his mouth.

"Great, now he's going to have to pee the whole flight. Why did you insist on starting potty training last week? I'm going to have to get up every 10 minutes," Mulder grumbled.

"Hey, knock it off," Scully said softly, reaching over and touching his arm. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing."

"Honey."

"I'm not exactly looking forward to spending four days with your brother."

"I see."

"It shouldn't bother me, but it does. I know that he won't say anything, but the looks are enough. He hates me, he hates the kids, and I don't want them to be around that."

"He doesn't hate them."

He sighed and nodded.

"I don't like turmoil."

"It's not like you didn't know what you were getting into."

"That's true," he admitted as the plane started to back away from the gate, causing William to squeal with delight.

"Yay, we go!"

Ellie was woken by his joyous proclamations, and began to cry. William looked down at her and started to well up too. Scully shushed Ellie while Maggie dealt with William, and Mulder started to wonder just how he had gotten himself into this. It was going to be a long flight.

* * *

"Daddy, pee-pee," William said, patting Mulder's arm. He looked up from his book and stared down at his son.

"I just took you, William."

"Pee-pee!" he repeated, only louder this time. There was a snicker from the man across the aisle, and Mulder shot a glare in his direction.

"Alright, come on."

He lifted him out of the seat and they headed towards the bathroom. Normally, Mulder couldn't fit just himself in these tiny crevices, and to add a toddler was to reach Copperfieldian heights. It took him a while, but he finally managed to get both of them wedged into the bathroom, and William situated on the toilet. He sighed and tried to stand up straight, but he failed miserably.

"Done!" William announced after a moment.

"William you didn't even go!"

He just shrugged as Mulder rolled his eyes and made William presentable again. They washed their hands, then squeezed through the door, and William took off down the aisle towards his mother.

"Mommy!" he shouted, right before catching his foot on a seat and falling to the ground. The other passengers fell silent for the spilt second before William started to cry. It was one of the most piercing sounds Mulder had ever heard, and he scooped his son up quickly.

"Hey, buddy, you're okay," he said, retuning to his seat and holding him close. He continued to wail, and Mulder shifted him slightly so he could look at his face.

"Is he hurt?" Scully asked.

"He bit his lip, but it's not bad."

"Let me see."

He turned William to face her, and could practically see her doctoring skills kick into action. She looked at his lip and then checked to make sure he hadn't bitten his tongue before kissing his forehead gently.

"No blood."

He smiled at her through his tears and took a deep breath.

"Waddah."

She handed him is almost empty sippy cup, and he took it gratefully, leaning back against his father with a contented sigh.

"Yeah, my son's tough," Mulder commented. Scully snorted.

"And he doesn't get it from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what I said. I'm tough and you're not."

"I'm just as tough as you are."

"Did you have a baby with virtually no pain medication?"

"Did your hand almost get ripped off by a woman who was having a baby with virtually no pain medication?"

"I fail to see the parallel there, Mulder."

He snickered as William pointed at the window.

"Wiwum see?" he asked, tipping his head to the side.

"Yes, go sit with grandma."

He slid off of Mulder's lap and shimmied over to Maggie, who lifted him into her lap and began to point to things outside the window. William was transfixed, his nose getting closer and closer to the glass... until he let out a huge sneeze, bopping his head on the window from the force of it.

He looked confused for a moment, and Maggie tried desperately hard not to laugh as she accepted the baby wipe from her daughter and cleaned up William's face and the window.

"That was a big one, huh, buddy?" she asked, kissing cheek. He nodded and pointed out the window again.

"Whus'sat?"

"That's a farm. See how green it is? That's probably corn."

"Cown! Wiwum eat cown."

He turned around, a look of amazement on his face.

"Daddy, cown!"

"I know, bud."

"Popcown?" he asked, getting more excited by the minute.

"Maybe we'll have some popcorn later, buddy."

"Peas?"

"Be patient, son. If you're good I'll find some when we get to your uncle Bill's house."

He sighed in defeat and continued to look out the window.

* * *

By the time the plane landed, Mulder, Scully and Maggie looked like they had been used as human jungle gyms. Which, for all intents and purposes, they had been. William had been up and down almost the entire flight, never satisfied with where he was sitting. About an hour before they touched down, he had had an accident. In the ensuing struggle to find a new diaper and a clean pair of pants in the carry-on, Ellie had been woken and started screaming. This made William cry, which made Scully want to cry, which made Mulder feel like the worst husband and father on the planet, for not being able to keep his family happy for 6 measly hours. When they finally landed, both kids were sleeping deeply.

The three adults struggled off the plane, ignoring the looks of pity from the other passengers as they made their way down the concourse. Scully looked like she was about to drop William, so Mulder stopped and switched kids with her, giving her Ellie and taking the heavier child for himself. They made the switch wordlessly and Maggie watched in fascination. She and Bill Sr. had never been like that. Working together seamlessly, as if they had been doing it their whole lives. She supposed it had nothing to do with the length of time they had been together, but was more about their FBI training and their dependence on each other for survival.

The weary travelers made their way to baggage claim and picked up their suitcases quickly before walking to the rent-a-car center and picking up their keys.

William woke up on their way to the car, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Dere?"

"We're almost there, William. We have to take a car ride first."

"Vroom-vroom."

"Yeah, and I sprung for a really nice vroom-vroom too," Mulder said as they approached the large SUV.

"Mulder this thing is going to cost a fortune in gas."

He just shrugged.

"I have to get some fun out of this vacation."

"Fox, don't worry about Bill. He's promised me that he will be good."

"Did you get that in writing?"

"I didn't have to. I'm his mother. He's scared of me."

Mulder laughed. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad trip after all.


	28. Sweet, Naughty Boy

A/N: Yes, I am pro-spanking. Why? I am anti-devil child.

* * *

As it happened, Bill was not home when they arrived. Tara greeted them at the door with a squirming Matthew on her hip, and Mulder brought the luggage inside.

"Gramma!" Matthew shouted, finally being released from his mother's grip and charging towards Maggie. She smiled and picked him up while William looked on in disbelief.

"Mommy," he muttered, pulling on Scully's shirt. "My gammy."

"She's Matthew's grammy too," Scully explained, shifting Ellie in her arms. "Can you help daddy?"

"Ok."

He took the diaper bag from her and followed Mulder up the stairs somewhat dejectedly.

"My gammy," he said again as they entered the extra bedroom.

Mulder sighed and piled the bags on the bed before crouching down before his son.

"I know, buddy. Do you think you can share her with Matthew for a few days? He doesn't get to see her very often. And when we go home, she'll be all yours. And you'll have your Nana too. Is that okay?"

He nodded and Mulder picked him up.

"Let's go downstairs and you can meet your cousin Matthew. I bet he has some good toys."

"Toys?"

"Yep, toys."

The two trooped downstairs and found everyone in the living room. Maggie and Matthew were sitting on the floor playing with blocks, and Tara and Scully were on the couch with Ellie.

"My Eh-yie," William whimpered upon seeing his sister in Tara's arms. He was always protective of Ellie, especially when it came to strangers holding her. He had even growled at Skinner the first time he had visited.

"It's okay, William. That's your Aunt Tara. It's okay for her to hold Ellie."

He nodded and Mulder sat down on the couch next to Scully.

"William, wanna play blocks?" Matthew asked, holding out a blue plastic cube. "Gramma's makin' us a big tower. We could knock it over!"

William glanced at his parents, then grinned and scrambled off of Mulder's lap to join his grandmother and cousin on the floor.

"He was so little last time we saw him," Tara said as she watched William. "It was almost two years ago, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, two years ago Thanksgiving," Scully said with a nod. "I barely remember him being that little."

"That's because he wasn't sleeping through the night yet. You were walking around like a zombie," Mulder reminded her.

"I think I purposely blocked that out of my memory."

"Is Ellie sleeping through the night?"

"She'll sleep about six hours at a time."

"You're lucky."

"I'm not complaining."

William walked over to Scully holding a toy dinosaur.

"Roar, mommy!" he shouted.

"That's a nice dinosaur, William. What color is it?"

"Geen."

She nodded as he trotted the dinosaur across her lap.

"William, do you like your sister?" Tara asked.

He looked up at her and nodded.

"My Eh-yie."

"Do you like to play with her?"

"No. Eh-yie yittle."

He walked over to his sister and showed her the dinosaur, as if to demonstrate Ellie's lack of playmate qualities.

"Eh-yie, roar!" he said, looking down at her. "Eh-yie seepin'."

"Babies do that a lot."

"Ok," he agreed, taking the dinosaur and running off to play again.

"Anyone home?" Bill hollered from the front door.

"DADDY!" Matthew whooped, standing up and running for the door. Bill came into the room and scooped his son up.

"Hey little dude. Are you playing with Grandma?"

"Yep. She maked a tower. I knocked it down."

"Are you going to help her make a new one?"

"Yep, and then knock it over again!"

Bill chuckled and set his son down.

"Hey Dana," he said. She stood up from the couch and hugged him. "How was your flight?"

"It was long. I think we might give William a sedative when we go home."

"Oh yeah, nothing wrong with that," he joked as he released her and reached his hand out for Mulder's.

"Nice to see you again, Mulder."

"You too, Bill."

They nodded at each other and Scully grinned. Tara must have had a serious talk with him before they arrived.

"So when is Charlie getting here?" Scully asked, anxious to see her younger brother.

"Their flight gets in at four. They should be here about an hour after that."

"Are they all going to stay here?"

"Yep."

"Where are we going to put everyone?"

"We finished the basement last summer. There's two guest rooms down there. We figured we'd put mom in one and Charlie and Michelle in the other. The kids can sleep in here, or Bill bought a tent and we can pitch that outside for them.

"I wanna sleep in the tent, mom," Matthew announced.

"We'll see, son."

"Okay."

Bill sat down next to Tara and looked down at Ellie.

"Tara, you're not allowed to get baby fever," he warned with a grin.

"Too late."

He sighed.

"Remember the crying? And the diapers? And the throw-up?"

"But look how cute they are."

"We already have one."

"I want more."

He sighed again.

"Whatever, honey. You guys hungry? I thought I would barbeque some hot dogs for lunch."

"Sure, that would be good."

"I got some bratwurst for the men," he added. "You know, something with flavor and actual animal meat in it."

Scully wrinkled her nose and Tara shook her head.

"Son, you're a barbarian," Maggie commented.

"Yeah, I know. Mulder, want to help me? Tara doesn't trust me with fire."

"Sure."

"Wait, you think I trust you with fire?" Scully asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I barbequed just last week and my eyebrows are still intact. You have nothing to worry about."

She just rolled her eyes as the men trooped off to the backyard.

"Should I be worried about this little pow-wow?" she asked.

"Not in the least. Your big brother is apologizing," Tara answered.

"Are you joking?"

"Nope."

"Wow."

"I know. I'm still in shock myself."

* * *

"William, please eat two more bites and then you can be done."

William sighed and looked up at his mother.

"Just two, buddy. You barely ate today. Here, have some watermelon."

"No."

"How about some more hot dog?"

"No."

"Potato salad?"

"No."

"William, you need to eat two bites of something."

"No."

Mulder turned from the grill and looked at his son. He had never defied them before, especially not openly.

"William, you heard your mom. Just two bites, bud."

"No!"

His loud proclamation caused everyone to turn their heads and look. Scully acted swiftly, taking his hand and leading him away from the picnic table and into the house.

"No, mommy! Cookies!"

"You're not having cookies, you're having a time out," she explained, taking him upstairs and placing him on the bed in their room. "You have two minutes and I'll be back."

His wail started out quietly, the progressed to a shriek. She clapped a hand over his mouth until he stopped, then silently left the room.

She had only had to put him in time out once before, and she hated doing it. She knew it was best for him, so despite how she felt, she remained consistent.

She waited outside the door until his two minutes were up, then stepped back in. He was glaring at her.

"William, do you know why I put you in time out?"

He shook his head.

"I asked you to finish your lunch and you said no. I would like you to apologize for your behavior. Can you say I'm sorry?"

"Soh-ee."

"Can you come back downstairs and finish your lunch?"

"Ok."

She picked him up and gave him a hug.

"I love you, William."

"Love, mommy."

They went back outside and William obediently sat down and finished his lunch. He grinned up at Mulder and wiped a bit of ketchup off of his face.

"Done!"

"Good. Why don't you come inside and go potty and then we'll run through the sprinklers with the big kids?"

His little face lit up even though he really wasn't sure what was going on. Doing anything with his dad was enough to make his day, no matter what it was. He hopped down from the table and followed Mulder inside.

"I've never heard William say no before," Maggie remarked.

"He's never been disobedient like that. He's probably just tired or something. Jet lag."

Tara nodded.

"Matthew gets like that sometimes, if he doesn't sleep well. Hopefully the time change won't affect him all weekend."

"I hate punishing him. The first time I ever had to swat his hand was the worst day of my life. I think we both cried."

"That's being a mom, honey," Maggie said with a little chuckle.

"Sometimes, I really hate it."

* * *

Mulder roasted the marshmallow until it was just slightly golden, then took it off the fire and blew on it until it cooled. They had planned on having a fire outside, but a sudden rainstorm had driven them into Bill and Tara's living room. Charlie and Michelle had arrived a few hours earlier, all four kids in tow. To say it was loud in the house would have been an understatement.

"William, bring me your graham crackers and I'll make you a S'More."

"S'More?"

"It's like a cookie."

"Ok."

William handed him the graham crackers and he made the s'more, then handed it back to his son. William looked at it skeptically for a moment, then popped it into his mouth.

"Too bad mommy won't let you have some chocolate on it."

"Don't make me the bad guy," Scully said as she handed Ellie to her oldest nephew. William watched them for a moment before approaching them.

"Eh-yie mine," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Wiwum hode."

"Honey, let Nicholas hold her for a bit. You can hold her later."

"No, mommy. Now."

"William."

"My Eh-yie," he repeated, holding out his arms. "Mine!"

Nicholas looked at Scully, but didn't move. The poor kid wasn't sure what to do at this point.

"Will-"

"No! My Eh-yie!" he shouted, bopping Nicholas on the head. Scully couldn't believe her eyes. William had never hit anyone. Ever. Not even when they were playing. She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room and into the hallway.

"William Mulder, you are not allowed to hit anyone."

"No!"

"You need to apologize to Nicholas."

"No!"

"Then you're going in time out again."

"No!"

She picked him up while he cried and kicked, and took him upstairs to the bedroom once again.

"Daddy!" he wailed as she set him on the bed.

"William, daddy would be punishing you too."

"No, mommy."

"You're going to sit here for two minutes and then you are going to go downstairs and apologize to Nicholas."

"NO!" he shouted, trying to push her away.

She hated to do it.

She really, really hated to do it.

But that didn't matter.

She turned him over and gave him two quick swats on his behind. He turned and looked at her, more stunned than hurt, and his lower lip started to quiver.

"You're going to sit here for two minutes and think about what you did," she said, trying not to cry herself. "I'll be back."

She stood from the bed and headed out of the room as William's sniffles turned into sobs.

Mulder met her in the hallway, concern written on his face.

"Honey?"

"He'll be fine."

"Will you?"

She took a deep breath and met his eyes.

"I'll fake it."

He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Did you have to spank him?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. It'll be easier next time."

"There had better not be a next time. I can't handle it. You're going to have to do it."

"It'll be okay. Maybe the naughty streak won't last long."

"I hope not."

They stood together quietly for a while before she composed herself and pulled away.

"I'd better go and talk to him."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No, I think it's better if I do it alone."

"Alright. Holler if you need me."

"I will."

He kissed her forehead before she opened the bedroom door and stepped inside.

William was still crying a little and he wiped his eyes when she sat down next to him.

"Soh-ee," he said softly as she pulled him into a hug.

"I know. I forgive you. No more talking back to me or to daddy, okay?"

"Ok."

"You need to go downstairs and apologize to your cousin, and then it's time for bed."

She stood up with him and he buried his face in her neck.

"Soh-ee."

"I know, honey. I love you."

"Love mommy."

"And I will always love you, no matter what. Okay?"

"Ok."

She kissed his cheek and headed downstairs.

"Nicholas, William has something to say to you," she said, sitting down on the couch.

"Soh-ee," William whispered shyly.

"That's okay. It didn't hurt. Do you want to hold Ellie now? I'm done."

"Ok."

William crawled off of Scully's lap and sat back against the couch, holding his arms out in anticipation. Scully took Ellie and adjusted her in William's arms until he was holding her comfortably.

"Hi my Eh-yie," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. She stirred a little and opened her eyes with a yawn.

"Mommy, Eh-yie wake!"

"I know. She's probably getting hungry."

"Oh. Mommy hode."

She took the baby from him and he sighed.

"It's time for bed, honey."

"Nigh-nights?"

"Yeah, let's go put your nigh-nights on."

They stood up from the couch and William walked over to hug Maggie.

"In mor-ing," he said as she kissed his hair.

"I'll see you in the morning, sweet boy. Sleep well."

"Say goodnight to daddy, William."

He obeyed, walking over to Mulder and hugging him.

"Do you want me to tuck you in?"

"No, mommy."

"Okay. Goodnight, buddy."

William scampered upstairs, Scully following close behind with Ellie. He walked over to his suitcase and pulled out a pair of pajamas then kicked his shoes off.

"Do you need help, honey?"

"No, Wiwum do."

"Okay. Do you need to go potty first?"

He shook his head and changed his clothes quickly, then climbed up on to the bed next to her.

"Wead, mommy."

She grabbed his favorite book, _The Sneetches on the Beaches_ off of the night stand and opened to the first page. By the time Sylvester McMonkey McBean brought out his star off machine, William was asleep, snoring gently. She closed the book and maneuvered him under the covers as best she could while still holding Ellie. He grunted a little and she tucked the covers around him, then sat down in the rocking chair to feed her daughter.

Bedtime was the best and worst part of the day. She loved any excuse to cuddle her kids, but there was something different about bedtime. Maybe it was just that William was tired, but when he looked up at her with those Mulder eyes, she felt her heart constrict with love. He was so warm and sweet and sleepy once he was in his pajamas. She loved putting him to bed.

On the other hand, putting him to bed meant he was down for the night, and she wouldn't see him again until morning. Sometimes the day wore on her, and she waited in anticipation for naptime, but she never wanted bedtime to come. She loved having conversations with him, even though he couldn't respond too well. She loved playing with him, tickling him, seeing the world again through his eyes. When he went to bed, she felt a little lost.

Ellie snorted softly, a sure sign she was done eating. Scully picked her up and laid her on the end of the bed so she could change her diaper and clothes. That done, she swaddled the baby and rocked her for a moment before settling her into Matthew's old bassinet. She kissed both kids, then silently slipped from the room.


	29. Family and Fishies

A/N: As per your request, slightly more Ellie in this chapter. I can't do much because she doesn't do much. Next time I see my niece I will have more inspiration I'm sure.

* * *

The sunlight woke her the next morning and she yawned and tried to stretch. Unfortunately she was sandwiched between William and Mulder, so her movements were quite restricted. She didn't need to glance over her shoulder to see that Mulder was sleeping deeply- his snoring was indication enough. She looked down at William who was drooling next to her, one arm thrown over his forehead. His long eyelashes rested on his round, pink cheeks, and she leaned down, kissing his warm skin. He stirred slightly and opened his eyes, giving her a smile.

"Hi mommy."

"Good morning. I didn't mean to wake you up."

He nodded his head and closed his eyes again, drifting off to sleep.

She stared at him for a while, still unable to believe that he was really hers. Theirs. She and Mulder had two babies together. It still boggled her mind. William was the ultimate miracle, and Ellie was a beloved surprise, and she couldn't even grasp how blessed she was. Maybe she had to go through all those horrible things in life to get to where she was now. Maybe in her younger, more naïve years she wouldn't have appreciated the love of a good man, and the adventure of raising children with him. It was possible that fate did balance things out, and good things do come to those who wait.

Ellie started to fuss, so Scully extracted herself from the bed and walked over to the bassinet by the window. The baby looked up at her with a sleepy smirk, and Scully picked her up, cradling her close.

"Are you hungry Ellie Joy?" she whispered, sitting down in the rocking chair. "Or maybe you just want a cuddle?"

Ellie looked up at her and their eyes locked. No one else had ever been able to hold Ellie's stare the way Scully could. Maybe it was a mother/daughter thing, or maybe it was just that Scully was the first person that Ellie had ever really looked at. Either way, she wouldn't change it for anything.

She had a special bond with William, probably because of what they went through to bring him into the world. He had made them a family, but Ellie completed them. Her birth had brought such a sense of satisfaction and indescribable peace. They had been happy as a family of three, and Ellie seemed to have been given to them so they could truly appreciate that happiness. She couldn't imagine her life without her family-the very thought made her shudder.

Ellie gurgled and yawned, waving her tiny arms in the air before puckering up to cry. Scully kissed the tiny face and repositioned them in the chair so Ellie could eat. She hummed softly to her daughter, relaxing in the morning sun before the day became too hectic for the quiet moments. Ellie wiggled and kicked her legs a little, happy to have her stomach full again. Scully stroked a few wisps of hair off of her daughter's forehead, then kissed her cheek. She would never get tired of kissing her kids, even when they grew to hate it, as she knew they would.

"Mornin' honey," Mulder said, rubbing his eyes. "You been up long?"

"A few minutes."

"What time is it?"

"Just after seven."

"And William's still sleeping? That jet lag really messed with his head."

"He had a long day."

"That he did. Did you sleep alright with both of us invading your space?"

"I didn't mind. It was kind of nice."

He crossed the room to her and kissed her softly.

"I'm going to go hop in the shower before everyone else gets up. I'll be right back."

He kissed her again, then gathered some clothes and headed off to the bathroom.

* * *

"William, do you want to go with me or daddy today?" Scully asked, rubbing some sunscreen into her son's tiny nose. He wrinkled his face and tried to pull away. "Honey, I know you don't like it, but I don't want you to get a sunburn."

"Ok."

"I am going to go shopping and daddy is going fishing. Which would you rather do?"

His brow furrowed in confusion.

"Fissin'?"

"Yes, He's going to go with all the boys and catch some fish. They might go swimming too."

"Simmin'?"

"Yep. Do you want to go with daddy?"

"Ok."

She lathered up his skinny arms with sunscreen, then plopped a hat on his head.

"Sades?"

"I don't know where your shades are, buddy. Go ask daddy."

He skipped out of the room, and she finished dressing Ellie before following him downstairs. Everyone was milling around, getting the kids and themselves ready for the day. The guys were all going fishing, while the women were planning on hitting the mall and the grocery store. They still had to pick up some supplies for the 4th of July barbeque the next day. The men were taking care of the fireworks, and Scully made a mental note to buy some soft ear plugs for William so he could enjoy the fireworks without damaging his ears. Her brothers tended to go for the extravagant when it came to things that lit on fire.

"Are you ready to go, Dana?" Maggie asked.

"I need to make sure Mulder has all of William's stuff."

"Alright. We're going to head out to the car and get the girls situated. Want me to take Ellie?"

"No, I've got her. We'll be out in a second."

She nodded and headed off to the car while Scully dug through the diaper bag, taking out all things William related so Mulder would have them.

"Honey, where are William's swim trunks?"

"They should be in his suitcase. Probably in the pocket on the front."

"Mommy go bye?"

"Yes, I'm leaving, but you get to stay here with daddy. Is that okay?"

He nodded his head and reached up to pat Ellie's leg.

"Bye, Eh-yie."

"Found them," Mulder announced, coming down the stairs.

"Good. Now make sure to grab a lifejacket for him out of the garage before you go. He can probably wear Matthew's old one. And put it on him, even if you're just on the dock, and make sure he swims with it and-"

"Honey, we'll be fine. I've got a change of clothes, extra underwear and even two diapers in the bag I am taking with us."

"Yes, but do you have stuff for William?"

He tweaked her nose and smiled.

"We're covered, honey. I already fitted him with a life jacket, and he is even going to use one of Matthew's fishing poles. We'll be fine. Go have fun and don't worry about us."

"Okay. But call if you need anything."

"I will. Go. Shoo. Out the door, spend my money."

"I thought it was our money."

"Hon, get out of here."

She smiled and slung the diaper bag over her shoulder before leaning up to kiss him.

"We'll be back in a while."

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too. Be safe."

"We will."

She turned and left the house, joining the girls in the mini-van and securing Ellie in her carseat.

"Everyone ready?" Tara asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

"Yep!" the little girls hollered from the back seat where they sat with Michelle. Tara started the engine and backed the car out of the driveway.

"Dana, how long has it been since you spent the day shopping?" Maggie asked.

"Let's see, when did I start working for the FBI? That would probably be the best way to answer that question."

"It hasn't been that long, has it?"

"Usually I have two grumpy people with me, so I just get in and get out."

"Kids don't like to shop, huh?"

"Ellie's a great shopper, I was referring to Mulder and William."

"Oh honey, Fox would follow you around the store for hours."

"Yeah, because if he's following me, it means he's staring at my butt. He hates shopping especially shopping for himself. He still doesn't know what size pants he wears."

"He's not totally incapable."

"No, but he wants me to think he is. Sometimes it's just easier to do it myself than to deal with his whining."

"He can't be that bad."

"No, he's really not, but if he asks me one more time if he can fit into a 30x32, I might throttle him."

"The species would die out without wives," Tara remarked.

"Amen."

* * *

"Now we have to put the worm on the hook," Mulder said, pulling a worm out of the Styrofoam container. William's eyes grew wide as the hook went through the wiggling worm.

"Ouch," he said.

"That's the circle of life, buddy. Now I'm going to cast for you and then you can hold the pole, okay?"

"Ok."

Once the line was in the water, William sat down on his small chair and took the pole. Mulder sat down next to him on the dock and casted his own line. They sighed together.

"Now if you feel a pull, you tell me and I will help you catch your fish. Okay?"

"Ok, daddy."

They sat quietly for a while, listening to the birds chirping and the lapping of the water against the distant boats. Bill and Charlie had taken the older boys out on the drift boat, but Mulder didn't exactly trust that he wouldn't be seeing his breakfast in reverse if he joined them, so he opted to stay on dry land with William.

"Fishies," William commented, pointing at the water.

"Yep, we're going to try and catch some."

"Den?"

"Then we will eat them."

"FISHIES!?"

"Yep. We will eat the fishies. They taste good."

"Oh. Ok."

"We will bring them home and mommy will cook them for us."

"Fishies," he repeated, still slightly shocked about this turn of events.

"Yep. As your mom once told me, we eat fish and fish eat us. It's another one of those circle of life things I was telling you about."

"Fishy eat Wiwum?"

"No, it's just an expression."

"Ok."

He turned back to the water and watched his bobber for a moment before yawning.

"Are you tired, son?"

He shook his head and remained intent on the bobber. It was several minutes before Mulder realized that he was chanting "fishy, fishy, fishy" under his breath. He chuckled a little and reached into their bag for the camera. He took one picture before William turned and looked at him, giving him the most cheesy grin ever. He laughed and took the picture, then put the camera away.

"Mommy?"

"Remember, mommy went shopping. Yuck."

"Yuck."

"Shopping's for girls. Fishing's for boys."

"Yep. Boys."

* * *

"So how'd my hunter-gatherers do today?" Scully asked when Mulder met her at the door. He grabbed the bags from her hand and kissed her cheek.

"Your son almost single handedly caught his own fish."

"Really?"

"I helped him reel it in, but he did most of the fighting. You would have been proud, hon."

"I bet. How big was it?"

"Pretty big actually. We're going to cook it for dinner, right William?"

"Fishy eat Wiwum. Wiwum eat fishy."

"Is that right?" Scully asked as she handed Ellie to Mulder and crouched down to talk to William.

"Uh-huh."

"Did you have fun with daddy?"

"Uh-huh. Simmin'."

"Did you like swimming?"

"Yep. Spash daddy."

"You splashed daddy? I bet he wasn't very happy about that."

William just laughed and she hugged him.

"I missed you today, honey."

"Ok."

"Didn't you miss me?"

"Yep. Eh-yie."

"Did you miss Ellie more than me?"

"Yep."

She smiled and picked him up.

"Wanna show me this fish you caught?"

He nodded and pointed out on the deck.

"Dere."

She took him outside and opened the ice-box where at least 12 dead fish were laying in some ice.

"Looks like you guys caught your limit."

William nodded and reached down into the box, grabbing a medium sized trout by the gills and pulling it out.

"Mine," he announced, holding it up for her to inspect.

"Ew, that's a pretty nice fish bud. Shiny."

"Yep!" he agreed pushing the fish closer to her.

"I don't want to touch the fish honey. They feel gross."

"Why?"

"They're slimy and scaly."

"Why?"

"Because the slime and scales help them swim."

"Why?"

"Because it makes it easier to go through the water."

"Why?"

"Because.... because I said so."

"Ok."

She sighed, glad she had dodged that bullet, and took him inside to wash his hands.

* * *

Scully peeked in the bedroom door and found Mulder on the bed with Ellie on his lap and William perched next to him. She leaned against the door jamb and watched them for a moment.

"William, where's Ellie's nose?"

"Nose," he said as he pointed to her nose.

"How about her eyes?"

"Eyes."

"And her tummy?"

"Tummy."

"How about her toes?"

"Toes."

"Can you find her hair?"

"Hair."

"And where's Ellie's favorite brother?"

"Wiwum!" he shouted, pointing to himself. Mulder chuckled as Scully entered the room.

"Are you having fun, William?"

"Yep."

"Are you ready for bed?"

"Wead," he nodded, handing her a book as she sat down on the bed.

"_Riley O'Smiley_, huh?"

"Yep. Wead, mommy."

She tucked him under her arm, kissed his hair and opened the book.


	30. A Fight and No One's Right

A/N: Chapter 30... I really wanted to do something special to mark the milestone... as I have done at 10, 20, and 25. Unfortunately it would be silly and impossible to make Scully pregnant again, so I had to think of something else. Maybe this chapter won't be as memorable as the other mile markers on this crazy train, but at least I tried. P.S. I can't help but make Bill nice.

* * *

"How much lighter fluid do you use, Bill?" Mulder asked, approaching the grill.

"What's left in the bottle?" Bill replied.

"Got it."

He squirted the rest of the fluid on the grill, then stood back as Bill tossed a match on it, and it burst into high flames until the most of the liquid burned off. Charlie stood off to the side, manning the propane grill. In the last half hour, Mulder had discovered that there was a huge debate in the Scully family as to the best way to cook meat. Bill was old fashioned and preferred charcoal and lighter fluid. Charlie stood by his man- or the propane grill rather- claiming the food tasted more like food and less like ash. The battle had been raging since the propane grills were first introduced, and there didn't seem to be an end in sight.

"Bill, how many burgers are you cooking on that thing?"

"One for everyone. You?"

"Same. I think it's only fair that people taste each one and decided for themselves. Hopefully the carcinogens from the charcoal don't get to their brains before they make the decision."

"Says the man who is cooking food over a fancy Bunsen burner."

"Mine will be done faster, it will be cooked perfectly, and it will be juicier."

Mulder bit his lip as hard as he could to keep from making a bad joke.

"Whatever, little brother. You've still got a lot to learn."

"You're not so smart, Bill. You're the one who's going to have to spend hours cleaning his grill, while I simply wipe mine down and go on my merry way."

"Charlie, you rented a grill. Rented it, like it was a fruity couch or something. Get over yourself."

"I'm a Scully. That's impossible."

"Here, here," Mulder agreed.

Bill chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Are you boys ready for the burgers?" Maggie asked, poking her head out the screen door.

"I'm ready," Charlie said, adjusting the temperature on his grill. "But Bill over there still doesn't have a good smolder going."

"Are you guys six or seven?" Maggie asked before slipping back into the house. They all shrugged together and took long pulls off their sodas. Tara came out a moment later with two plates full of raw hamburger patties.

"Okay boys, you know the rules. No special seasonings, no special cheese, just plain old grilling. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," they both chirped as Mulder held back a laugh.

"And you're going to make sure they follow the rules, Fox," Tara commented.

"Are you sure that's safe, Tara? To put me in the middle of a family feud?"

"Not like you haven't been under fire in this family before," Bill said with a shrug. Mulder nodded in agreement as Scully came out the door with William.

"Honey, will you keep an eye on him? Ellie's fussing and I need to take care of her for a bit."

"Sure. Come here Will, and I'll show you how manly men cook."

"Manny men."

"Just don't teach him to beat his chest and let out war cries."

"I'll try."

She slipped back inside and William wiggled in Mulder's arms.

"Go pay, Daddy."

"What do you want to play?"

"Fubble."

"Football, huh? You wanna be Troy Aikman again?"

"Ok."

* * *

They were just sitting down to lunch in the yard when the doorbell rang.

"Who does door to door on the 4th of July?" Mulder asked.

"Crazy California hippies," Bill responded, rolling his eyes. Maggie chuckled and stood up from the table.

"I'll get it."

She went inside and returned a few minutes later with a huge smile on her face.

"Kids, Pete and Elena are here."

"Pete?" Bill and Charlie both shouted, standing up from the table.

"Pete?" Scully repeated, her voice slightly unsure. Mulder glanced over at her with a question in his eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I just haven't seen Pete since... college I think," she remarked, leaning over to wipe William's mouth.

"Who is he?"

"He was friends with Bill when we were in high school. Hung around the house a lot. Part of the family."

"You dated him."

"I was young."

He nodded, shifting Ellie in his arms. He hoped she hadn't heard the jealousy in his voice.

The screen door slammed shut, and out walked Bill and Charlie, with what looked like the long lost Scully child. Pete stood as tall as Bill and as slender as Charlie, with striking blue eyes, and dark red hair. He and Scully would have made quite the pair.

Behind Pete was Elena, who Mulder assumed was his wife. She was shorter, with dark hair and a full smile. The height difference between the two was almost comical, but Mulder realized that it was probably how he and Scully looked together when she wasn't wearing heels.

The group came down the stairs and into the yard. Scully stood up from her seat and walked over to hug Pete briefly.

"Little Katie grew up," Pete remarked with a grin. She hated when he called her that.

"Shut up, Peter."

He stopped short of giving her a noogie and instead walked over to Mulder and stuck his hand out.

"Pete McIntyre. You must be Dana's husband."

"Fox Mulder," he replied, shaking the proffered hand. "How'd you know I was Dana's-"

"Christmas cards. Gotta keep up with the family, you know. Is this William?" he asked, smiling down at him.

"Hi. I Wiwum."

"Hi William, I'm Pete. I'm a friend of your mom's."

William nodded and pointed to his sister.

"See my Eh-yie?"

"Is this your sister?"

"Eh-yie yittle."

"Yeah, she is."

If Mulder had been less of a man, he would have been visibly steaming with jealousy, and maybe that territorial thing Scully had warned him about before. As it was he plastered on a smile as Pete and Elena greeted everyone else.

Scully's old high school boyfriend shouldn't have bothered him. And he probably wouldn't have, except for that Christmas card thing. Who sent him Christmas cards? Maggie? Scully? And if it was the latter, why didn't he know about it? It wasn't as if this man was Jack or Ethan, so why had she kept it from him?

He glanced over at her, feeling very betrayed, even though he knew it was irrational. They guy was just a family friend. But if she kept something like this from him, who's to say there wasn't more? Maybe she kept in contact with all her old love interests, just waiting for the moment when he keeled over, so she could have her pick of men.

He sighed and pushed his burger away.

Maybe the carcinogens _had _gone to his brain and made him crazy.

He just needed to think clearly. He wasn't going to assume the worst, and he certainly wasn't going to ruin this day by being paranoid.

* * *

His resolve lasted an hour. It could have been fine, but Pete was very intent on catching up with Scully. He asked her questions about things that really had no place in a Christmas card. How could he know about them? There was the Maggie factor, and if he kept in touch with Bill and Charlie, he might have heard some things. But it just seemed a little too personal. Especially for someone she had not seen for the better part of 15 years.

It was all the questions about William and Ellie and motherhood that finally caused Mulder to stand up and leave the yard. They weren't probing questions by any means, but he didn't want that man to know about their children. He didn't want Pete to have any part in their lives.

He stalked up the stairs and sat down on the bed, breathing deeply to try to get his head back on straight. He had nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. Everything would be fine.

"Honey?" Scully asked from the door. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"Mulder, what's up?"

"It's nothing. Go back downstairs."

"What did I do wrong?"

"Just leave me alone, Scully."

She sat down next to him and tried to get him to face her. He pushed her hand away.

"Mulder-"

"Christmas cards? They must have been awfully lengthy ones by the sound of things. Why didn't you tell me you were writing your whole life story to your old boyfriend? Was there something to hide? Something you didn't want me to know? What else have you been keeping from me?"

"Mulder-"

"Are you going to tell me the truth?" he hollered, standing from the bed.

"Of course I am!" she shouted back, matching his stance. "I didn't tell you because I didn't think about it. I've been writing him a letter at Christmas time since I was a junior in high school. It was a part of my life before you were and it never crossed my mind to tell you. I had nothing to hide, and I wasn't hiding it on purpose. It just happened. And what was I supposed to do? Out of the blue, just say "Oh by the way, Mulder once a year I write a letter to an old family friend who I dated for two months and went to the prom with?" Was that really what you wanted? How dare you second guess me, Mulder? After everything we've been through, after all the reassurances, you pull this? I can't even believe it! Do you really trust me that little?"

"If I can't trust you in something as small as this, how can I trust you in anything?"

"I didn't lie to you! You have no reason to question me on this. None. I have never betrayed your trust and I never will."

"You didn't tell me."

"So? You still haven't told me everything about Diana, and she was a way bigger part of your life than Pete was for me. That woman almost ruined us, but you thought it was okay to omit information about her."

"That's different."

"How? How is that different? How is it not a double standard?"

"Because she's dead! She can't come back and tear us apart from each other."

"Pete is not going to tear us apart from each other."

"He's been here an hour and he's already doing a pretty good job."

"Don't even blame this on him! He came over here and has been nothing but nice to you, and now you're blaming your infantile tantrum on him? Seriously? I always knew you could be immature, but this has reached a level that William would marvel at."

"So you're just going to call me names? Are you hoping that makes me forget what we're fighting about in the first place? Because you know you're wrong. You know it."

"Screw you, Mulder," she muttered, turning and storming out of the room.

He grunted in aggravation. He knew he was wrong, and that he was overreacting, but once he got going, he just couldn't stop. He'd always been paranoid, and she should have known that, but by attacking her integrity, he hadn't given her a chance to try and understand.

It was their first real fight, and he'd totally blown it.

* * *

She stomped outside and sat down on the picnic table next to her mother.

"Honey?"

"Men are stupid."

"Did you just discover this?"

"No, I was just under the impression that I got a smart one. Turns out he's just... on a mission to drive me insane."

"We heard."

"You heard that fight?"

"Snippets. Couldn't really make out most of it."

She sighed and covered her face with her hands.

"I knew we would fight eventually, I just didn't think it would be over something so stupid."

Bill plopped down next to her with a heaping plate of Jell-O salad.

"Danes, you're not the only one that's right."

"Excuse me?"

"You have to look at it through his eyes. He knows that he isn't good enough for you."

"Bill."

"This is not a crack at him. Just hear me out. He knows that he is not good enough for you, and he is waiting for the day when you figure that out. Another man happens along and panic sets in. This guy could make you see what you're missing. And if you're keeping something from him, that makes it even worse."

"But he knows I love him. I couldn't leave him. He knows that, Bill. He knows it better than he knows anything."

"That's true. But when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter. His worst fear is you betraying him, and today he caught a glimpse of that."

She eyed him for a moment and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Did you body swap with Charlie?"

He just smiled.

"So you're saying that I should go and talk to him."

"Yes. He's not trying to be controlling, and it's not that he doesn't trust you. Men are just more emotional than we like to think we are."

She sighed and stood up from the table.

"Alright, but when I get back I am taking you in for a CAT scan because obviously there is something wrong with you."

"Duly noted."

Rolling her eyes, she went inside and back up to the bedroom.

"Mulder?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure."

She sat down next to him and they were quiet for several minutes before she finally spoke.

"You know I love you, right?"

"I know."

"And you know I would never leave you, and I would never have the desire too, right?"

"Yeah."

"I understand why you're upset. I really do. And I'm sorry. But I honestly didn't even think about it. It never crossed my mind. Ever. I swear. If it had, I might have realized how it looked."

"I know. And I'm sorry too. I was being irrational and childish. And I do trust you. I know I have nothing to worry about. But sometimes I just..."

"I know. Bill told me."

"Bill?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Are we okay?" he asked, reaching for her hand.

"I'm okay if you're okay."

"Then we're okay," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I hate fighting."

"Me too."

"I would say "Let's not ever fight again," but that would be like asking my mom not to gossip."

He smiled and kissed her softly.

"We can try."

"Yeah, I guess so. Come on, they're starting fireworks soon."

"At three in the afternoon?"

"It's tradition. I can't help it."

"It's not even dark yet."

"Believe me, by the time Bill and Charlie have blown up everything they bought, it'll be nearing ten o'clock."

"Seven hours of fireworks?"

"We'll stop for dinner."

He chuckled and followed her downstairs where Bill and Charlie were gathering all of the fireworks. There was probably close to 400 dollars worth of stuff there, and Mulder briefly wondered if they spent this much at Christmas too, or if they were just pyros.

William spotted them coming across the yard and ran towards them.

"Daddy," he said as Mulder scooped him up. "Sad?"

"No son, I'm not sad."

"Mommy?"

"Mommy's not sad either. We just needed to talk."

"Oh. Ok. Love, daddy."

"I love you too, William."


	31. William's Friend

A/N: There really is a bear like this and I am not even kidding. I have personally pressed its paw and listened to it. My cousin's daughter bawls hysterically every time she sees it. I took a few liberties with what it says, but the most outrageous lines are word for word.

* * *

"Mommy!" William shouted, tugging on her hand. "Uppie."

She cracked one eye open and stared at the clock. 6:04 a.m. He had to be kidding.

"Honey, go back to sleep."

"Peas? Uppie Mommy."

She sighed and leaned over the side of the bed and lifted him in he smiled and burrowed under the covers, climbing over her legs until he was settled between her and Mulder.

"Daddy! Uppie!"

"Go back to sleep, William. It's Saturday," Mulder said, keeping his eyes closed. William sighed and sat up on his knees, grabbing Mulder's cheeks in his small hands.

"Daddy! Daddy, uppie."

"It's not time to wake up," he answered, cracking an eye open. "It's time for... tickling!"

He attacked his son with tickles and zerberts and William screamed in delight.

"Daddy, no! Tee-kulls!"

"Think we should tickle mommy?"

"Yeah!"

"No, no tickling mommy," Scully said, trying to scoot away. Mulder was too quick and grabbed her around the waist. She sounded like a stuck pig as father and son launched an assault on her sides and she had laughter tears rolling down her cheeks by the time they stopped.

"A-gin!"

"No, not again. I think that would break mommy," Mulder said with a smile.

William cackled and clapped his hands.

"Tee-kull daddy!"

"No, daddy is going to get a much worse punishment than tickling," Scully chuckled, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Pankin'?"

"You think I should spank daddy?"

Mulder gave a soft snort and she tossed her pillow at his head.

"Ok," William said with a nod.

"How hard?"

"Daddy cwy!"

"Make him cry? I don't know, buddy."

"Peas?"

She laughed and shook her head.

"I don't think so, kid. Why don't we all go back to sleep for a while?"

He just looked at her.

"Please, William. We're very tired and it's very early."

"'Side."

"If you go back to sleep, we'll go outside later. How 'bout that?"

"Ok," he agreed, snuggling in between them. "Eh-yie?"

"Ellie's sleeping, honey."

"Wiwum want Eh-yie."

"When she wakes up I'll bring her in here."

"Ok. EH-YIE!" he shouted. Mulder laughed and shushed him as Ellie started to cry. "Uh-oh."

"Yeah uh-oh. Now I have to go get her."

He climbed off the bed and followed her down the hallway, stopping in his room to grab his new teddy bear.

_"What do you wish?"_ the bear asked as William clutched its paw.

"I didn't know your bear talked, William," Scully said, lifting Ellie out of the crib and putting her on the changing table.

"Yep."

"Honey, do you think you could pick an outfit for Ellie to wear today?"

"Ok," he answered, dragging his bear over to the dresser. He pulled the bottom drawer open and grabbed some small purple pants and a white onesie. "See mommy?"

"Thank you William. That will be just right for today."

_"I think so too."_

Scully smiled at the bear, then finished dressing Ellie before taking both kids back into the bedroom. Mulder was flipping through the channels on their small TV, and he pulled William up onto the bed with him.

"Want to watch some cartoons, buddy?"

_"Hmm, are you sure?"_

"Scully, what the crap is this?"

"His bear talks when you press its hand."

"It sounds like the voice from the Eurisko building. Only slightly creepier."

"I know, but he likes it."

_"I feel the same way."_

"Is this thing going to answer us all day?"

"I don't know."

"Daddy, beep-beep!"

"Yep, it's the roadrunner. Do you think Wile E. Coyote will get him today?"

"Yep."

_"I think so too."_

Mulder rolled his eyes and pressed the bear's hand again.

_"I'm afraid of spiders. Do you have a secret?"_

"I dropped Scully's toothbrush in the toilet last week."

_"I won't tell anyone."_

"I knew I could count on you."

Scully smacked his arm, but couldn't help chuckling.

_"What do you do at night?"_

"I loose money at the craps tables, then cruise for chicks. What do you do?"

_"Would you believe that sometimes, I'm naughty? Shh, don't tell anyone."_

They just looked at each other, their mouths slightly open.

"Inappropriate bear," Scully commented, reaching for it. "I'm gonna take the batteries out of this thing."

"No, don't do that! I want to show it to the Gunmen."

"Who gave this to him anyway?"

"I think it was my mom. For his birthday."

"From now on, there is going to be a screening process for every toy that comes into this house."

"Good idea."

William turned around from the TV and grabbed the bear.

"My beaw."

_"Are you playing with me?"_

"Yep."

"Yes, definitely inappropriate bear."

Ellie gurgled her agreement.

* * *

"William, if you can put your cars in the toybox we'll go to the park."

William clapped his hands and pitched all his toy cars into the wicker basket before standing up from the floor.

"Eh-yie go?"

"Yes, we're all going. I bet daddy will push you on the swings and take you down the slide."

"Go, go!"

Scully chuckled and helped him with his shoes.

"Okay, let's go."

He dashed towards the garage door, then turned around and grabbed his bear off of the couch. Scully sighed. She'd have to see if she could sneak it away from him and take the batteries out sometime.

They piled into the car and headed for the big park. It was about two miles away, but it had a splash pad, and was probably one of the cleanest parks around. William bounced happily in his seat, dancing his bear around in his lap.

_"Well you touched my heart, yeah you can talk to me. All your secrets and day dreams, come on and see how fun it can be! Haha! Bye bye!"_

Scully turned around in her seat and William grinned up at her. The bear sat silently in his lap, a frozen expression of glee or something more sinister on its face.

"William, would it be okay if your bear didn't talk?"

"No."

She sighed and turned back around, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He'll forget about it by tomorrow. We can sneak it out of his room tonight."

"Should we wear all black?" she teased.

"You can if you want," he answered, giving her a lecherous smile.

"Stop it, you look like that bear."

He chuckled.

_"People are so nice. It is fun being near my friends. Who would you like to hug?"_

"That thing has got to go."

They pulled into a parking space, and Mulder shut the car off.

"Beaw, go pay!"

"Honey, why don't we leave your bear in the car? We don't want him to get dirty, do we?"

He shook his head and clutched the bear tightly.

_"I'm usually happy. What makes you smile a lot?"_

Scully sighed and took Ellie out of the car, making sure to grab the diaper bag before she shut the door. Mulder helped William out, and tried to leave the bear in the car, but William snagged it. Mulder just sighed and got the picnic basket out of the trunk, then followed Scully to a shady part of the grass. She tossed a blanket down on the ground and William giggled and flopped down on it.

"Honey, can you help me spread the blanket out?" she asked him.

"Yep," he nodded, grabbing one side of the blanket and shaking it. Between the two of them, they managed to get the blanket laid across the grass.

"Go pay?" William asked, pointing to the swings.

"Daddy can take you to the swings while I get dinner ready."

He jumped up and down, then grabbed Mulder's hand and headed for the swings. Scully smiled and looked down at Ellie, who was gurgling happily. At the bear that William had left sitting next to her. Scully snatched it up and looked it over for a spot where the batteries went in. She looked everywhere, then finally upended the bear and found a small velcroed seam. She popped it open and found a battery pack inside. It was secured with a screw, and she knew that for the moment, she was defeated.

"I guess we'll just have to suffer a little longer, Ellie Joy."

Ellie hiccupped in response.

Scully smiled and watched her boys. William was in the swing, almost in hysterics with laughter, and Mulder was equally as amused just watching him. She loved when they were like this- happy and playful. It seemed that Mulder could forget everything bad that had ever happened and focus on being child-like.

They played for fifteen more minutes before Mulder stopped the swing and lifted William out of it. He stumbled a little as he tried to gain his footing, then fell onto the concrete sidewalk. Her stomach did a tiny flip as he let out a small cry. Mulder picked him up and dusted him off, then carried him over to the blanket.

"Mommy, we need some damage control."

William sniffled as she pulled him into her lap, looking over his knee. It was scraped up, but there was hardly any blood. She doctored it quickly, completing the treatment with a kiss.

"Are you ready for some dinner?"

"Sannat?"

"Peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"Mmmm."

He tore into the sandwich with gusto, eating almost half of it before coming up for air.

"You must have been hungry," Mulder commented, handing his son a juice box.

"Yep," William agreed drinking a large swallow of the juice. He sighed in satisfaction, then reached over for his bear.

_"I feel the same way."_

Mulder and Scully both rolled their eyes and William laughed.

"A-gin, beaw!"

_"Well you touched my heart, yeah you can talk to me. All your secrets and day dreams, come on and see how fun it can be! Haha! Bye bye!"_

"William, why don't you finish eating and then you can play with your bear."

"Ok."

He tossed the bear aside and it landed next to Ellie. She gurgled and waved her arms at it as a bit of drool slipped down her round cheek. She must have inherited her mother's aim, because her hand came down and hit the bears paw.

_"Would you believe that sometimes, I'm naughty? Shh, don't tell anyone."_

"Would you believe that I want to chuck you in the Potomac?" Scully countered, reaching over to wipe William's face. He laughed heartily, which was almost worth listening to that creepy bear all day.

* * *

Several hours and one very wet trip to the splash pad later, they all trudged back to the car. William looked dead on his feet as he dragged his bear by the paw. Luckily it was the non "touch me!" paw. Ellie was asleep, her cheeks relaxed and drooping. Mulder was almost as wet as William was. It hadn't been hard to persuade him to play in the water; he just wished he had brought a change of clothes. Scully's nose was sunburned, and the rest of her face had taken on the slightest pink tinge.

The drive home was quiet, a few baby noises from Ellie and a snore or two from William. They managed to get both kids and all their stuff inside in a few minutes. Scully took William to his room and quickly changed him out of his wet clothes. She settled him in his bed and kissed his cheek, then turned his night light on and left his door slightly ajar. Mulder was just putting Ellie down for the night, and Scully made sure the baby monitor was on before they left the room.

"I know it's early, but I'm going to bed."

"Me too."

He followed her slowly into their bedroom where they both changed and crawled into bed. She snuggled up next to him and yawned, the busyness of the day catching up with her. They lay there quietly for several minutes, listening to the house settle and the crickets chirp. Her eyes were slipping closed and her muscles were turning to jello when Mulder finally spoke.

"Hey Scully?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you believe that sometimes, I'm naughty?"

He landed on the bedroom floor with a thump.


	32. Daddy's Day In

A/N: So my friend went out of town and left her husband with their three daughters... a two year old, a one year old, and a three month old. I figured if he could do it with three kids for four days, Mulder could do it with two for one.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay with both kids?" Scully asked, slipping into her shoes.

"We'll be fine, honey. I've got diapers and bottles. Go take care of your mom and don't worry about us."

"I can take Ellie with me if-"

"No, we're not going to get her sick too. Everything will be fine. I'll call you if I run into any problems. Okay?"

"Alright. I'll be home soon, I'm just going to help her out for a few hours. I'll be fast, I promise."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then trust me with the kids."

"Oh honey, it's not that. I know they'll be fine. I'm worried about your sanity."

"You do this everyday. I can do it for a few hours."

"I know."

"Then get out of here. Pay your daughterly dues, stay as long as you need to."

"Okay."

"William, come say bye to mommy."

He scampered into the room, his footie pajama'd feet slapping against the floor and his blanket dragging behind him.

"Wiwum go wif mommy?"

"Nope, you get to stay with daddy."

"Wiwum go."

"Honey, could you do me a favor? Could you stay here and help daddy with Ellie?"

"Ok."

She crouched down and hugged him and he wrapped his arms around her neck.

"I'll be home after your nap, okay Linus?" she said, tugging on his blanket. He grinned.

"Latah, mommy. Love you."

"Love you too, William. Be good."

She kissed him once more, then slipped out to the garage and left the house.

"Well buddy, what do you think about some breakfast?"

"Yum!"

"What should we have?"

"Yun-ut."

"What?"

"Yun-ut! Sobby."

"Buddy, I think you're going to have to show me what you're talking about."

"Yun-ut, daddy!"

"Where is it?"

William sighed and pointed to the fridge.

"In nere, daddy."

He opened the fridge and looked around for something that could possibly be translated into "yun-ut." William pointed to the second shelf.

"Oh, yogurt. What kind do you want?"

"Sobby."

"Strawberry?"

He nodded.

"Geez, your mom needs to write a dictionary for when she leaves me alone."

William nodded and climbed into one of the kitchen table chairs.

"Okay, strawberry yogurt, spoon. What else do you need, bud?"

"Eat."

"Okay. I'll leave you to it. I'm going to go check on your sister and I'll be right back, okay?"

"Mm-hmm," he answered, his mouth full of yogurt. Mulder smiled and went upstairs. Ellie was in her crib, waving her arms at her flowery mobile. She blew a spit bubble when she saw him, and he lifted her up gently.

"Babababa," she said as he kissed her head.

"Is that right?"

"Ababao."

"Then what happened?"

"Bbbbbbaaaa."

"Does that happen a lot?"

"Lalalala."

He smiled and set her on the changing table. She continued to babble as he changed her diaper, then fell silent after a moment, staring up at him with a huge grin.

"Honey, you're not filling up this brand new diaper too, are you?"

"Bababa," she answered. He chuckled wondering how long it would be before she started saying real words.

"Let's go downstairs. Mommy left some bottles in the fridge for you."

They entered the kitchen and made it all the way to the fridge before Mulder realized that William was not sitting at the table anymore.

"William? Where are you?"

"Hee!"

"Where's here?" he asked, flowing the noise. He found William in the living room, sitting on the couch, eating his yogurt and playing with the TV remote.

"William, what are you doing?"

"TB."

"You need to come back into the kitchen and finish your breakfast and then you can watch TV."

William sighed sadly, and hopped off the couch, spilling his yogurt all over himself and the floor in the process.

"Uh-oh," he intoned, his spoon dripping onto the couch. Mulder sighed and settled Ellie in her bouncy seat, then went into the kitchen for a wet rag.

"William, why don't you go into the kitchen and eat what's left of your yogurt? You can sit on the floor if you want to."

"Ok," he agreed, walking through the puddle of breakfast on his way into the other room.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

An hour later found the three of them in the bathroom, and both kids in the tub. William had decided that Ellie needed yogurt for breakfast too, and had managed to dump a spoonful on her head before Mulder could stop him. There wasn't a lot of water in the tub, as Ellie couldn't sit up yet, but there was enough to keep William happy. He filled a plastic cup with water and poured it on his head with a laugh.

"Daddy, see?" he said, repeating the action.

"If I wash your hair, do you think you could do that again?"

"Ok."

Mulder put a little shampoo on his son's head and scrubbed gently with one hand, while his other hand rested on Ellie's stomach, keeping her from rolling over in the water.

"Okay, go ahead and rinse, bud."

William dumped the cup again and wiped the water out of his eyes.

"Fun!"

"Yeah, it is, huh?"

"Eh-yie do?"

"No, I don't think Ellie would want any water poured on her. Let me get her washed and then we'll go get dressed, okay?"

"Ok."

Mulder quickly washed his slippery daughter and pulled her out of the tub, wrapping her in a towel and drying her fuzzy hair.

"Are you ready to get out, buddy?"

"Yep."

It took a moment, but Mulder finally managed to get William out of the tub while he held Ellie.

"Code, daddy."

"I know. Here, wrap this towel around you like mommy does, and we'll go get you dressed."

They left the bathroom and went into William's bedroom for some clothes.

"Can you pick out some pants and a shirt?"

William nodded and pulled open the bottom drawer on his dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans, tossing them on the floor. He opened the next drawer and took out a shirt, throwing it on the ground next to the jeans.

"And you're going to need your big boy pants too."

"Big boy!" he repeated, pointing at the top drawer. Mulder grabbed a pair out of the drawer, then scooped up all the clothes and headed to Ellie's room.

"William, can you dress yourself while I take care of your sister?"

"Ok."

Mulder chose Ellie's pinkest outfit (the one Scully would never put her in because it was just too girly) and a diaper and dressed his daughter before taking the baby brush and taming her hair.

"Daddy?" William asked, wrinkling his forehead and holding up his underwear. "Uh-oh."

"You forgot to put on your underwear?"

"Yep."

Mulder chuckled and helped his son fix the problem.

"There, now that everyone is dressed and fed, what should we do?"

"Vroom-vroom."

"I should have known you would want to play with cars. Let's go."

* * *

It was just past lunch time when Scully called. Mulder was at the computer, working on some case reports while Ellie laid on the floor next to him, burbling to herself. William was asleep on the floor, a toy car clutched in each hand.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mulder, it's me."

"Hey honey. How's your mom?"

"She's fine. Tired."

"Pneumonia will do that to a person."

"She has this list of things she needs me to do around the house. I'm not quite done yet."

"Oh?"

"I think she got sick just so someone else would have to do her cleaning."

"Scully."

"It's alright, I'm just tired. How are the kids?"

"They're fine. William played with his cars all morning, then drove a few through his lunch before sacking out on the floor. Ellie's barely made a peep, but she sure hates the bottle."

"Are you sure it was warm enough?"

"Yes. I guess there is no substitute for mommy. When will you be home?"

"A few hours yet. I need to finish some things up and make sure she's settled for the night. She's a horrible patient, Mulder. She thinks she doesn't need her medicine and that her doctor is a quack."

"Sounds like someone I know."

"Whatever."

"We miss you around here today."

"I know. I miss you guys too."

"I'll let you go so you can finish up."

"Alright. I should be home in a few hours."

"Okay. Hey honey, what are hopanos?"

She chuckled.

"Jalapenos."

"William eats jalapenos?"

"Yep."

"Who gave them to him?"

"I did. Just the mild ones in the fridge."

"Does he normally eat them with his peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

"No. He was trying to pull a fast one on you."

"Oh."

"Want to know something?"

"What?"

"Half the time I don't know what he's saying, I'm just really good at guessing."

"Thanks, honey."

"You're welcome. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, latah."

They hung up and Mulder sighed, looking down at Ellie who was drooling out the side of her mouth.

"Are you the producer of that pungent aroma?"

She hiccupped in response. He smiled and picked her up from the floor.

"Oh my darling, you are certainly packing heat. We must rectify this situation promptly."

She just sucked on her fingers and stared at him.

"My flowery verbiage doesn't impress your mom either."

* * *

It was almost William's bedtime when Scully finally arrived home. Mulder greeted her at the door, a sleepy little boy on his shoulder.

"I know he doesn't seem like it, but we're very happy you're home."

"Me too," she said, rubbing William's back. He looked at her and smiled a little, reaching a hand out for her. "Do you want me to tuck you in, honey?"

He nodded and she took him from Mulder, heading towards the bedroom.

"I missed you today, buddy."

"Ok."

"Were you good for daddy?"

"Yep."

She settled him into his bed, tucking the blankets around him tightly.

"Nigh-night?"

"Yeah, it's time for sleep," she said, brushing his hair from his face. He smiled and sighed as his eyes slid closed. It was only a moment or two before the snoring started. She kissed his cheeks and crept out of the room, leaving the door open a little.

She found Mulder in Ellie's room, just finishing up a diaper.

"This little bottomless pit is quite hungry, and since I lack the necessary appendages to satisfy her needs, I am going to go and heat up some dinner for us."

"Sounds good. I'll be down in a bit."

She picked Ellie up and kissed her round cheek.

"Hi sweetheart. Are you hungry?"

Ellie just smiled, reaching for her mother's hair. Scully grabbed a blanket out of the crib and wrapped Ellie up in it before sitting down in the rocking chair. Ellie didn't nurse well without privacy.

She rocked the chair back and forth gently while Ellie ate, humming softly. It had been a long day, and no matter how much she loved her mom, she would have preferred to be home. She felt like missing out on a day with the kids was just as bad as missing a week. Maybe she was too hard on herself, but she never wanted the kids to remember a time when she wasn't there and they wanted her to be.

Ellie ate fast and was ready to be burped in a few minutes. After she let out a sound that Mulder would have been proud of, Scully stood from the chair, and placed her sleepy daughter in the crib.

"Goodnight, Ellie Joy. I'll see you in a few hours."

She found Mulder in the kitchen ladling some soup into bowls. He set them on the table and handed her a spoon before sitting down.

"So how was everything today?" she asked, taking a bite of the soup. It was canned, but at least he had tried.

"Once William woke up from his nap, things got slightly more interesting."

"How so?"

"Well first he walked around the house for 10 minutes looking for you. It took me showing him that your car was gone before he actually believed me. Then I went to change Ellie's diaper and when I was done I found him sitting in the bathtub which was full of the water I forgot to drain this morning. He was still in his clothes and he looked pretty happy, so I let him play in there for a while. When he got out I had to change his clothes, and then he wanted to play outside. Ellie stuck a pill bug in her mouth and sucked on it, and I couldn't get it out. As soon as I stopped trying she spit it out. She's going to be a ton of fun when she's 13. William thought it would be funny to put a ladybug in his mouth, but he spit it out pretty quickly. We came inside after that, and he had an accident, so we had to change his clothes again, and he was pretty embarrassed and cried for about 20 minutes. He finally calmed down when I fed him dinner, and then he just wanted me to hold him for the rest of the night. How was your day?"

Scully smiled at him and patted his hand.

"I'm sorry they gave you such a hard time."

"It wasn't that bad, just tiring. How do you do this everyday?"

She shrugged.

"I just do. It gets easier every day. But I guess it gets harder too. I don't know. I just do it."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For doing this every day."

"Thanks for giving me a reason to."


	33. Good and Bad

A/N: Sorry it's been so long. My muse left me for another woman. Also work doesn't help with the time or energy issue. This chapter is for my best friend whose husband went back to work, leaving her home all day with two kids for basically the first time since the baby was born. With the way her little stinker of a son has been acting lately... this is not too far off of what could happen if she didn't rely on an extra set of hands when she leaves the house for more than an hour or so. Anyway, I hope this never happens to her... and if it does, I hope I am there to witness it.

* * *

"Hey honey, how was your day?" Mulder asked, leaning down to kiss her. She glared at him and he stopped short.

"Is that face directed at me?"

"No, it's directed at your offspring."

"Doctor's appointments didn't go so well?"

"I am seriously considering having unvaccinated children."

"What happened?"

He sat down next to her on the couch and she sighed.

"It started about 10 minutes after you left this morning. The kids were dressed and ready to go and I just needed them to be good for five minutes so I could find my shoes. In those five minutes, William rolled Ellie into the kitchen and managed to spill orange juice on her. So I had to give her a bath really quick because diaper wipes just don't cut it with that big of a mess. By the time she was changed, William had to go to the bathroom. So we sat here for 10 minutes until he decided he really didn't have to go. Halfway to the doctor's office, he had an accident and started to cry. And then Ellie started to cry. By the time we actually got to the office they both had snot all over their faces and they both needed to be changed. Have you ever tried to deal with two messy kids in a public bathroom? It's not fun. By the time I managed to get them cleaned up, we were 20 minutes late for our appointment. So we had to wait for another hour to see the doctor. William wouldn't sit down and he kept doing that thing where he has to lick the toys before he plays with them. Ellie screamed her head off the entire time except when I let her suck on my finger. William then proceeded to run around the room and tell everyone that he goes peepee like daddy."

"Great."

"Close the door from now on."

"Noted."

"So then the doctor finally calls us back and tells me that William needs a booster shot and Ellie needed her last MMR. And William freaked out and started screaming and kicking and that made Ellie upset. It took me fifteen minutes to calm him down and when he finally got the shot I thought my eardrums were going to burst. Fortunately Ellie didn't mind hers, but I made the mistake of pointing that out to William, which only made him feel worse. So I told him that I would buy him some cookies when we went to the store."

"You didn't."

"I had a migraine, I was bound to say anything. So we get in the car and William starts complaining that his butt hurts because of the shot. But I can't do anything about it, so we just go ahead and go to the store. William demanded a cookie right away, so we stopped at the bakery and got one. He didn't want to sit in the cart, so he was just kind of following me around and I looked back and noticed that he had been picking the raisins out of his cookie and dropping them on the floor. I asked him why he did it and he said "We get back to da car!" Then he started crying when someone swept up the raisins because he thought we were going to be lost, and he wanted me to hold him and I can't push a cart and shop and carry a kid at the same time, and Ellie was starting to get hungry, so we just bought what I already had in the cart and we left. But not before William informed the lady at the cash register that he got poked in the butt."

"You're kidding."

"No. So by the time we got home, Ellie was wailing, William had to go to the bathroom, and in the rush to take care of that, I forgot about the groceries. When I finally remembered it had gotten so hot in the car that the milk and yogurt went bad. So I brought in what I could, pitched the rest of the stuff, and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get spaghetti sauce off the wall because for some reason I thought ravioli for lunch was a good idea. Anyway, there isn't anything for dinner but if you wanted to order something I wouldn't fight it."

"Where are the kids now?"

"Ellie's asleep and William is playing in his room."

His laughter started out small but soon progressed into a full blown attack of hysterics. She just sat back and watched him, not at all amused.

"Are you done yet?"

"I think so. I'm sorry it was so bad today honey. Next time I'll try harder to get the morning off so I can go to the doctor with you."

"Thank you."

"Now, I am going to use my refined skills and call for dinner. What would you like?"

"I don't even care."

"Chinese it is."

He took the phone into the kitchen, just as William wandered in, pulling his blanket behind him.

"Mommy?"

"What, honey?"

"Wiwum goed sleep."

"Does that mean you just woke up?"

"Yeah."

"I see the imprint of a car on your cheek. Did you sleep on your bedroom floor?"

"Yeah," he said, crawling up into her lap. "Wiwum butt hut."

"Your butt doesn't hurt anymore honey."

"Bannaid."

"I know it has a band-aid on it. It will come off in the bathtub tonight."

"Okay. Eh-yie sleepin'?"

"Yeah, but she should wake up pretty soon."

"Eh-yie an Wiwum pay fahm."

"Well, you play farm, she chews on the animals."

"Spit on da ho-sez," he sighed, shaking his head. She giggled a little and kissed his imprinted cheek.

"Hey buddy, what's going on?" Mulder asked, sitting down next to them and pulling William into his arms.

"Wiwum butt hut. Ouch."

"You got a shot, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Doctah mean, Daddy."

"Mommy used to be a doctor."

William turned and looked at her, his eyes wide.

"Doctah Mommy?"

"Yep, Doctor Mommy."

"Oh my."

They heard some noise on the baby monitor, and then a full blown cry from Ellie.

"Up, up! We pay fahm!" William exclaimed, clapping his hands. Scully chuckled and brushed his hair out of his face.

"Let me change her diaper and feed her, and then you can play farm. Why don't you and daddy play with your train tracks until she's ready."

"Okay! We go, daddy. Pay tains."

"Alright, but I want to be Thomas."

"No, Wiwum Thomas."

"But that means I have to be Skarloey."

"Skahooie be mean."

"He reminds me of Papa Walter."

William cracked up and ran over to his box of trains, pulling out the Skarloey toy.

"Papa Walter!" he exclaimed. "Funny Papa Walter."

"Skarloey is bald too."

"No hair!"

Mulder laughed and crawled down on the floor to play with the trains.

By the time dinner arrived, they had a track running all the way around the room. It curved under the couch twice and went over the coffee table once. William was dancing around the room in excitement, clapping his hands every time the trains would jet down a hill.

"Boys, come eat," Scully said as she walked into the room.

"See, mommy!"

"My goodness, I think you used every piece of track you have."

"Pay, mommy?"

"Why don't you come eat dinner and when you're done, you can play with it until bedtime."

"Okay. Hun-gee."

He skipped into the kitchen and climbed up into his seat.

"Ticken an ice! An simp! Wiwum has chossicks?"

Scully handed him the plastic kid chopsticks and he expertly picked up a piece of shrimp.

"Yum," he said before popping it into his mouth. "Gud food."

* * *

They had an entire city built by bedtime. They had used Legos and Lincoln Logs and blocks to build houses and hospitals and stores. The train track wound through the town, dropping off its cargo along the way. They had even cut out a piece of blue paper that served as a lake. Mulder had glued Goldfish crackers to it to aid in the authenticity. The biggest building had been named "Da Eff Bee Eye!" by William. It stood in the center of town, right next to what was supposed to be their house. The boys were very proud of their work.

Scully had finished putting Ellie to bed when she walked into the front room and found Mulder and William asleep among their creation. Mulder was laying on his back on what little remained of the floor, and William was conked out on his chest. She smiled and stooped down to pick up her son, but Mulder's arm went protectively around him.

"It's just me honey. I'm putting him to bed."

"Ok. Want me to put this away?"

"Nah, leave it. He can play with it tomorrow."

"Alright."

"Coming to bed?"

"Mm-hmm."

He stood up from the floor and followed her upstairs, leaning over to kiss William's cheek before she settled him in for the night.

"Sleep good, son."

Scully took him into his bedroom and changed his clothes before tucking him in to his toddler bed. He sighed a little in his sleep and grasped his blanket, rubbing it across his face. She leaned down and kissed him, then left the room.

"I think William and I should call our town Rome."

"Oh?"

"Prove it can be built in a day."

"You're so weird," she muttered, slipping into bed next to him. "But you're a good daddy. Thank you."

"And you're a good mommy. Thank you right back."

He nuzzled her nose and then kissed her gently.

"Goodnight sweetheart."

"Night."

As the evening stilled around them, her mind forgot the frustrations of the day, and sealed in the good parts. Those would be the things she would remember when she was a little old lady, and they were the things she would tell her grandkids about years from now. The thought sent her into a peaceful sleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

A/N II: Yes, I realize this is basically a rehash of the previous chapter. I don't care. I'm tired.


	34. Being Happy

A/N: Sorry it's been so long again. I have no excuses. Except work tries to murder me daily, and by the time I get home, I am just drained. If you have not read the prequel to this story, read it now. It will be referenced soon.

This chapter is for my niece. I totally forgot her 4 month birthday. Oops. I love you Emmalia honey, even when you poop on me and spit up on me, but especially when you grace me with your giggles and smiles. You're my sunshine. Someday you will understand me when I tell you that.

* * *

* * *

"William do you want to help me set the table?" Scully asked, settling Ellie into the playpen.

"Nope."

"Would you like to clean up some of your toys?"

"Nope."

"Do you want to help me at all?"

"Yep."

"Well then what do you want to do?"

"Wiwum vacuum!"

She sighed. Leave it to William.

"Honey, you're not big enough to do the vacuum. Besides, you would have to put away your train town and I don't think you want to do that."

"Nope."

Her eyes brightened with an idea and she stepped out into the garage for a moment.

"Whas dat, mommy?" William asked, pointing at the object she had in her hands.

"This is a William sized vacuum," she explained, showing him the hand-held Hoover. "You can use it on the floor and you won't have to pick up your trains."

"Okay," he agreed. She turned the vacuum on and handed it to him carefully. He looked at it for a moment, then began to clean the floor. She left him to his joyous spic and spanning and went into the kitchen to finish making dinner.

They were having guests tonight- Skinner and his new girlfriend, Lillian. Scully wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Skinner had always just been Skinner. It was strange to think of him in a relationship. Not bad at all. Just strange.

The garage door opened and Mulder stepped through, shedding his jacket and hanging it on the hook by the door.

"Hey, you're home early."

"Yeah I figured I would come home and see if you needed help," he explained, leaning down to kiss her. She pulled him back when he broke the kiss, wishing they weren't expecting company. He smiled against her lips and ran his fingers through her hair.

"You okay, honey?"

"Yeah. I just missed you today, that's all."

"I missed you too. No one else wears those tight skirts like you used to."

"Oh hush."

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"You could set the table. I asked William to do it, but he said he wanted to vacuum instead."

"So that's what that noise is."

"Yeah. What time is Skinner going to be here?"

"Half an hour."

"Okay. I'm going to go feed Ellie and put her down for a nap."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Set the table and help William put his toys away."

"Do we have to take the train town apart?"

"And be labeled the meanest parents on the face of the planet? No way."

"You're the coolest mom ever."

"Thanks."

She took Ellie out of the playpen and headed upstairs while Mulder watched William drive the small vacuum over the furniture. He did everything with such determination, as if his life depended on it. Mulder just chuckled and went in to set the table.

* * *

"Papa Walter, pay tains!" William begged, tugging on Skinner's hand. Skinner chuckled and picked William up, settling him into his lap.

"How about you help me finish this piece of pie, and then I will play trains with you."

"Okay!"

William grabbed the spoon that was sitting on the table and took a huge bite of pie.

"All done. Pay tains!"

"Buddy, why don't you go and get your trains ready and we'll all be out there in a few minutes," Mulder suggested.

"Okay daddy."

He hopped off of Skinner's lap and raced into the other room, leaving the adults to snicker at his antics.

"He sure likes you," Lillian commented with a smile.

"That's because I sneak him jelly beans when his mom isn't looking."

Scully rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Do you guys want some coffee?" Mulder asked, standing up from the table and gathering the plates.

"Coffee would be great."

"Honey, let me do that," Scully said, standing up from the table and taking the dishes from Mulder's hands.

"But-"

"You can go deal with Ellie. I'm sure she's got a diaper for you."

"Gee, thanks honey."

She smiled and cleared the table off while Skinner and Lillian moved into the other room with William.

"Papa, see da tains? Dis be you," William said, handing him one of the Thomas trains.

"Thanks buddy," Skinner said, sitting down on the floor next to him. "What does this train do?"

"Drives!" William exclaimed, as if Skinner should know that.

"Does he deliver anything?"

"Apples!" he answered, putting a few plastic apples into one of the cars.

"Okay. Are they ready to go?"

"Yep. Turn on."

They turned their trains on and watched them move around the track. William hopped over to one side and stopped a train so it could deliver its payload, then hopped back and settled down onto the floor to watch them.

"Go fast! Zoom!" he shouted, clapping his hands as one train sped down a hill.

Mulder returned to the room with Ellie, who he settled down on the floor next to her brother.

"See Eh-yie? Dems fast."

Ellie stared at him for a moment, then turned her attention back to the trains. She kicked her legs with glee as one train drove by, and she shot out her hand to grab it.

"No Eh-yie! No spit on da tains!" William hollered as the train went straight for Ellie's mouth. Mulder rescued the toy and brought Ellie up into the chair with him. William sighed in relief and sent the trains in different directions so they would crash. Skinner then made one train chase the other, which caused William to tip over from laughter.

"Get him, tain! Go, go!" he cackled, bouncing up and down on his knees. He smiled and patted Skinner's hand.

"William, how would you like to go on a real train sometime?"

"Real tain?"

"Yes."

"YAY!" William shrieked, reaching over to hug Skinner around the neck.

* * *

"Mommy!" William wailed from his bedroom. Scully cracked one eye open and waited for him to call her again. When several minutes passed without a sound, she decided that he had gone back to sleep. Then she heard his tiny feet shuffling down the hall.

"William, why are you up?"

"Owwie," he answered, coming to stand next to her side of the bed. He tugged on his right ear and lay his head on the bed. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and checked his temperature.

"He okay?" Mulder mumbled.

"He has a fever. I'll take care of him. Go back to sleep, honey."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he'll be alright," she said, getting out of bed and picking her son up. "I'll be right back."

William snuggled himself into her shoulder as she walked into the bathroom. She searched through the cabinet and found that there was only one dose of baby Tylenol left.

"I guess we're going to the drug store in the morning, honey," she said, using the dropper to give him some of the grape flavored medicine. He wrinkled his nose but swallowed it anyway, then rubbed at his eyes.

"Wock, momma?"

"Sure," she agreed heading into Ellie's room and settling in the rocking chair. William slid his thumb into his mouth and sighed a little as Scully rocked the chair. She didn't remember the last time that William had wanted to be rocked to sleep. It was probably over a year ago. He was an affectionate child, but he wasn't clingy by any means.

"Momma?"

"What honey?"

"Dis Wiwum's chair."

"Remember, we gave it to Ellie because babies need rocking chairs. And you're a big boy."

"Yeah, no diapers."

"That's right."

He smiled and reached up with his free hand to grasp a strand of her hair.

"Love you, momma."

"I love you too, baby. Go to sleep."

She rocked him long after he had fallen asleep. It was in these quiet moments that she was able to really stop and think.

That first day, walking down into the basement office, she never would have dreamed that she would be here today. Even that weekend when she and Mulder went apple picking, a life like this wasn't on her radar. Even that moment she had taken that leap, admitted that she wanted him to be the donor... she didn't know he would want to be the daddy as well. Even as everything happened, she almost couldn't believe it. Going against all odds and having a successful IVF procedure on the first attempt. Getting married. Buying a house. Having a healthy baby. Two healthy babies. Being truly, completely, wonderfully happy for the first time in her life. The thought still brought tears to her eyes. It probably always would.

She stood up from the chair and took William into his room, settling him into his bed. He sighed a little in his sleep and she tucked the blankets tightly around him before returning to her own bed.

"Is William okay?" Mulder mumbled as she nestled herself into his side.

"He's fine."

"Mm-kay. Goodnight."

"Mulder?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, honey."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, then closed her eyes, knowing that no matter the dream, it would never be better than her reality.

* * *

A/N: I know that sounds like the end of the story. It is not. This story actually has no planned end. I will still be writing it when I am a 104 year old cat lady who uses a cane and shouts "Open Sesame" at walls, thinking they are doors.


	35. Early Milestone

A/N: I love this story. I'm sorry I have been neglecting it for... almost 3 months. I feel as if I shall cry from that. Or not. Anyway, chapter number divisible by 5... must be a good one! Events are real, names have been changed to protect the real father who was not paying attention and will never live this down, and whom I don't dare bring it up to because it wasn't entirely his fault and I don't think he would be happy if he knew I knew. See, I am there to keep the peace in my friends marriages. Boom.

* * *

"Mulder, I'm leaving. I'll be back this afternoon."

"Hmm'kay."

"Honey?"

"I heard you."

"William's still asleep, so I'm going to leave him here with you."

"Hmm'kay."

"Are you going to look up from those box scores and kiss me goodbye, or am I going to have to go put on a low cut top for you to take notice?"

"Low cut top."

She rolled her eyes and shifted Ellie in her arms, then leaned down and kissed Mulder's cheek.

"Call if you need anything."

He reached back and grabbed her wrist as she started to leave, and pulled her back towards him.

"I'll miss you."

"You're a very strange man, Fox Mulder."

"And charming too."

She chuckled.

"I'll see you in a few hours. Be good."

"Yeah, yeah."

She sighed and headed out to the car, settling Ellie in her seat. They were headed off to Maggie's for the day, to help her get things ready for Charlie's family coming into town. The weather was getting colder, and both of her brothers tried to make it once in early fall, just in case they couldn't come for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Ellie babbled nonsensically as they drove through town. She'd grow a lot in just the last few weeks, so much that she didn't even look like the same kid anymore. She was chubbier than William had ever been, but more alert and vocal also. She watched William wherever he went and would cry when he left he field of vision. He laughed, and she copied him. He went into the other room and she tried as hard as she could to follow. Scully was glad that Ellie looked up to her brother so much, but was afraid of how that might play out in the future, if the two of them ever ganged up on her. It would make shopping trips very interesting.

She pulled the car into her mom's driveway, then went around the side to get Ellie out.

"Thanks for coming, Dana," Maggie said as she opened the front door for them. "No William?"

"No, he's home with Mulder. He'd probably be bored anyway."

"That's probably true. Although Fox might take him over to see those weird friends of yours."

"That's alright. They're harmless."

"They're weird."

"I didn't say they weren't."

Maggie chuckled and took Ellie from her, kissing the baby's round cheek.

"So what needs to be done?"

"I need to get the guest rooms set up. All the sheets are washed and just need to be put on the beds. The neighbor boy is coming over to do the yard work. I need to go shopping and everything needs to be dusted and vacuumed. Spring cleaning on a smaller scale."

"Sounds good."

Ellie cuddled against Maggie's shoulder, a sure sign that she was ready for a nap. Maggie went into the den and settled Ellie in the old crib, covering her gently with a light quilt.

"She looks more like you every day," Maggie mentioned as she came out of the room. Scully smiled and nodded.

"Mulder swears she's me incarnate, but I think she looks more like you and Missy."

"We'll have to see if her hair stays brown or if it turns light like yours did."

"Mulder says she definitely has my lungs though. Especially when she wakes up in the night."

"She's got his stubborn streak."

"He won't admit that, no matter how many times I say it."

They smiled and went into the kitchen.

"Want some coffee?"

"Sure."

They sat down at the breakfast table, sipping their coffee in relative silence.

"Have you talked to Charlie or Michelle in the last week?"

"No. I tried to call them once, but they weren't home. Is something going on?"

"Michelle's dad is coming up for parole. The prosecutor wants her to testify again."

"Again? Don't they have a record of the last three times she had to testify against him?"

"Yeah, but they think it will be more effective for the parole board if they see her in person."

Scully sighed and sat back in her chair. Michelle's father had been a drunk, beating his children almost daily. 20 years ago, he had beaten Michelle's sister Susan so badly that she ended up in the hospital. She had suffered brain damage so severe that she would never be able to live without constant care.

"Is she going to do it?"

"Her mother refused, said she couldn't go through it again. Her brother is tired of the whole thing, but he's going to testify anyway. Michelle thinks that would be enough, but she feels like its letting Susan down if she doesn't do it. I can't imagine pressure like that."

"Me neither. The guy comes up for parole about every three years. How long does he have left on his sentence?"

"If he lives long enough, he should get out in 2020."

"I hope he dies in there."

"You and me both."

They were quiet for a while, not really sure what to say after a conversation like that.

* * *

"Looks like daddy really did take William to see the gunmen, huh Ellie?" Scully asked as she pulled the car into the driveway and noticed that Mulder's car was gone. She got out of her own car and took Ellie into the house, checking the counter for a note.

_S_

_Went to see gunmen, then for a run. Be back around 4_

_M_

"I wonder why he went for a run with your brother," Scully said, tugging Ellie's coat off. "If he left him over at the gunmens, he's going to be in big trouble."

Ellie blew a spit bubble in response.

"Alright, let's go change your diaper."

They headed upstairs and met William coming out of his bedroom.

"Hi mommy."

"William. What are you doing here?"

"Just playin'."

"Where's daddy?"

"Don't know."

"Is he home?"

William shrugged and Scully went into the other room to get the phone.

"Mulder."

"Honey, where are you?"

"I just finished my run and I'm on the way home. Didn't you get my note?"

"Oh, I got your note, but I think you forgot something."

"Did I leave the door unlocked?"

"No, you left William here."

"What? I thought you took him with you!"

"No! I told you he was sleeping and I was going to leave him here. I thought you would at least listen to me a little."

"That's what I thought you said, but I went into his bedroom and he wasn't there."

"He was probably hiding under his blankets while he slept. You didn't even check?"

"I thought you took him with you!"

She sighed.

"Well, he's fine, so I guess I can't really be mad at you."

"Honest mistake?"

"Stupid mistake, but you're forgiven. How long have you been gone?"

"About three hours."

She sighed again.

"We don't tell anyone about this, got it?"

"You don't have to tell me twice."

"I'll see you when you get home."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up the phone and shook her head.

"William, what did you do while me and daddy were gone?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his room.

"See?"

Every single toy he owned was on the floor.

"William?"

"Store, mommy."

"You made a toy store?"

"Uh-huh."

She leaned down and hugged him.

"I'm so glad you're okay, honey.

He smiled and pulled on Ellie's ankle.

"Eh-yie pay store?"

"I need to change her diapers, and then we'll come in and play with you. Okay?"

"Okay."

She left the room, shaking her head. All the things that could have happened flooded her mind. He could have gotten hurt, even died while unsupervised. Someone could have come in and taken him, he could have fallen down, he could have run away. Instead he had stayed in his bedroom, entertaining himself. It was pure luck. At least William was more capable of staying out of trouble than Mulder was.


	36. She's Home

Scully sighed to herself and pulled another outfit out of the closet. Nothing she owned was fitting right. It had been a long time since she had needed to wear anything formal, and after having two kids, her body was not what it once was. She really hadn't put on much weight, but she had filled out in certain places, much to Mulder's delight and her frustration. She was getting towards the back of the closet when she found a dark purple, calf length dress. It had cap sleeves and an empire waist, and the skirt didn't flare out too much. She couldn't for the life of her remember where she got it, but she wiggled into it and found that it fit.

She went into the bathroom to touch up her hair and make-up, but sighed upon seeing herself in the mirror. She hadn't been sleeping very well lately, and it showed. Oh well. Mulder was half to blame for the kids that exhausted her during the day. He'd just have to put up with how she looked.

"Momma?"

She turned around to find William in the doorway, his blanket dragging behind him.

"You're supposed to be taking a nap."

"I did. You pretty momma."

"Thanks honey."

"Eh-yie wake?"

"No, not yet. Why don't you go downstairs and look out the window for daddy? Let me know when he gets here."

"You go bye?"

"Daddy and I are going to leave, but Nana is staying here with you and Ellie."

"Nana!" he shouted, clapping his hands. Mulder's mother lived close, but was busy in volunteer work and travelling, and didn't spend as much time with them as they would have liked.

"Go downstairs honey. I'll be there in a minute."

He skipped out of the room and she smirked to herself, giving her hair one last fluff before she left the room. Mulder was taking her out to dinner tonight, in what would be their fourth night out since William was born. The first since Ellie was born. It wasn't that they didn't want to spend time alone. They would just rather be with the kids too.

"Honey, I'm home."

"He home, momma!"

"I hear that," she chuckled, sliding her feet into her shoes.

"Daddy has movie for Wiwum!"

He ran into the room and jumped up and down next to her.

"A movie, momma!"

"I know. You can watch it with Nana."

"Okay. You make dinner?"

"Nana said she would. Maybe she'll make macaroni."

"Macaroni!"

"Shh, you'll wake your sister."

He smiled and put his finger to his lips as Mulder entered the room.

"I thought we could take your car tonight and fill it up on the way home," he started, pulling his tie off.

"If you get out and wash the windshield then we have a deal."

He chuckled and tossed his tie on the bed before looking up at her.

"Wow."

"What?"

"You look… wow."

"Thank you."

"I thought I was just going to change clothes, but I think I might have to shower too."

"Well whatever you do, hurry up. Your mom's going to be here soon."

She took William downstairs where he ran into the kitchen and pulled a box out of the cupboard.

"Nana make 'pider macaroni?"

"Why you and your father make me pay the extra money and refuse to eat anything but Spider-Man macaroni, I'll never know."

"'Pider mac, 'pider mac," he sang. Scully rolled her eyes as she recognized the Spider-Man theme song. William had obviously been spending too much time with his father, unsupervised. She always suspected they did nothing more than watch cartoons, and now she had proof.

The doorbell rang and William ran into the other room yelling for his grandmother at the top of his lungs. Scully followed close behind, rolling her eyes.

"Nana!" William shrieked when the door opened. He plowed into her, hugging her legs and nearly knocking her over.

"Hi sweetheart," she greeted, picking him up and kissing his cheek.

"We have 'pider-mac, Nana."

"Alright," she said with a chuckle. "Do you want hotdogs in it?"

His eyes went wide and Scully was quite certain they would never wipe the grin off his face.

"Wiwum love hotdogs!"

Mulder came down the stairs with a very grumpy Ellie and gave his mom a hug.

"We really appreciate this, mom. We don't get to go out very often."

"Well I don't get to see the kids very often so I suppose you're doing me a favor too."

Scully smiled and took Ellie from Mulder, trying to smooth out the bed head her daughter was sporting. Her fine hair just sprung back up and Ellie rubbed her eyes.

"There's a box of macaroni on the counter for him, and Ellie has a bottle in the fridge. If she gets fussy there's rice cereal in the cupboard. She likes it really runny with no lumps. They're both going to need a bath before bed, and you'll have to help William brush his teeth. I think that's everything."

"We'll be just fine, Dana. You two go have fun and don't worry about us."

"Yeah, go," William said, wiggling out of Teena's arms and holding the door open for them. Scully chuckled as she handed Ellie to Teena.

"Aren't you going to kiss us goodbye William?"

William gave her a long-suffering sigh and accepted the hug and kiss she gave him.

"Go bye now," he said, motioning to the door.

"I think we'd better leave before he gets a bouncer to throw us out of here," Mulder said, helping Scully into her coat.

"Be good for Nana, William. You go to bed when she tells you to, okay?"

"I know, mommy."

"Alright. We'll be back in a few hours."

"Don't rush," Teena said. "We'll be just fine here."

"Thanks mom," Mulder said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Call the cell if you need anything."

They left the house and just looked each other for a moment before giggling like children and running to the car.

"I love the kids, but this feels like freedom," Scully said, buckling her seatbelt. Mulder laughed as he started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

"We don't do this enough."

"I agree."

He took her hand in his and she smiled up at him, feeling the same butterflies she had felt the very first time he took her hand. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but a lifetime she wouldn't change for anything.

* * *

"Dance with me."

She glanced at him over the table, her eyebrow arching up ever so slightly.

"I don't know."

"Please? Don't make me beg."

"Mulder…" she chuckled, shaking her head. "We haven't danced in years."

"Since the Cher concert. I know. Come on."

She took his offered hand and followed him out to the dance floor, feeling her whole body relax as his arms slid around her waist. It was nice to be this close to him for once, and she half expected a child to try and wiggle in between them, as so often happened at home.

Mulder hummed the song into her ear as they moved around the dance floor. His thumb moved up and down on her back and her knees felt wobbly. He still made her feel like a love-struck teenager, and she figured he always would.

Their feet moved together in perfect motion, and although the steps were elementary, she was still amazed at what they could do without speaking. They didn't work in the field together anymore, but they still anticipated motions, still finished each other's sentences, still worked so seamlessly together it was as if they were mind reading. The actions weren't done to ensure survival now, but sometimes, with both kids screaming and needing something, it sure felt like a life or death situation.

"_I'm Dana Scully. I've been assigned to work with you."  
"Oh, isn't it nice to suddenly be so highly regarded. Who'd you tick off to get stuck with this detail, Scully?"_

So young, so naïve. They were so different now, but still so much the same. They still challenged each other, had battles of intellect, battles of will. The subject matter was much different now, but they still had that spark of when they first met. The adventure, the excitement, the wonder. They worked to keep that alive, for themselves and for the kids. Life would be boring without it, after all.

"Scully?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we do this again next week?"

"Could next week be tomorrow?"

He chuckled and dipped his face down to hers, kissing her softly.

"It can be whatever you want."

"Can it be a vacation to Rome then too?"

"Anything you want."

She smiled as he spun her away from him and then pulled her back.

"You know what today is?"

"Am I supposed to?"

"Well, I'm not upset that you don't."

"What is it?"

"Three years ago today, we decided to have a baby."

"That's today?"

"Yeah."

"You remembered?"

"Yes. It's the day we became a family. Unconventionally, but a family all the same."

"I can't believe you remember the date."

"Well, I do have a photographic memory on my side."

She smiled and pulled him closer, kissing him deeply.

"I love you, Mulder."

"I love you too."

* * *

They returned home several hours later, finding the house intact and Teena working on crossword puzzles. Scully headed upstairs to check on the kids while Mulder walked his mom out to the car.

Ellie was tucked into her crib, one chubby fist up by her face, completely relaxed. Her mouth was open just a little and her hair had curled slightly from her bath. Scully leaned down into the crib and kissed her before slipping from the room to check on William.

"You coming to bed?" Mulder asked as he passed her in the hallway.

"I'll be in in a minute."

"You'd better be."

She smiled and opened William's door, finding him curled into a little ball at the end of his bed. He had a plastic airplane tucked under one arm and a few stuffed animals under the other. She carefully took the airplane away and moved him so he would be more comfortable. His eyes cracked open and he looked up at her.

"Mommy?"

"I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep, baby."

"You stay home?" he asked, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair.

"Yes, I'm home now."

"Daddy?"

"Daddy's home too."

He nodded and stuck his thumb in his mouth before closing his eyes. She kissed him and left the room, closing the door behind her. Yes, she was definitely home.


	37. The Creek

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my brother. We never did what William does in this chapter, but we did open a thing of baby powder and spray it all over our bedroom, made handprints all over the bathroom with baby oil, and there was also the time I covered him from head to toe in Oil of Olay. I tried to stop him, but he was out of control!

* * *

Mulder came home from his run on Saturday morning to find Scully, William and Ellie on the living room, on all fours. Ellie was rocking back and forth, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she tried to crawl. William was next to her, patting his hands on the ground, and Scully was in front of her, cheering her on.

"Come on baby, you can do it."

"Go Eh-yie! Crawl! Go baby go!"

Ellie scooted back and forth a little, lifted one hand, then put it down in frustration.

"Momma!" she wailed. William sat up and patted Ellie's back.

"You do it, Eh-yie. See?"

He crawled towards Scully then stood up.

"Go Eh-yie."

Mulder joined them and got down on the floor with Scully.

"Come on sweetie, you can crawl."

She looked up at the new voice and gave him a little grin before moving her right arm, and then hesitantly, her right knee slid across the carpet.

"You can do it, baby!" Mulder said, patting her left hand. She grunted and repeated the previous action, managing to move a few inches. She grinned a little and moved faster until she finally reached them. Mulder scooped her up and kissed her cheek while William jumped up and down.

"Again, Eh-yie. Race!"

Mulder put Ellie down and she started to crawl in the other direction, actually giving William a run for his money. Ellie had been trying to crawl for weeks, and now that she had done it, it didn't look like there was any stopping her.

"How was your run?" Scully asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Good. I might be too tired to do yard work later."

"Mulder, you promised."

"I know."

"It's going to get cold soon."

"I know."

"We don't want our sprinklers freezing, and I don't want leaves in my snowballs later."

He bit back the laugh that was trying to get out from that last comment.

"Alright, alright. I suppose I'll use less energy doing all that than I would trying to make up excuses, huh?"

"I'm pretty relentless."

"Well, let's bundle the kids up then."

She smiled and stood up, grabbing Ellie and heading up the stairs.

"Where goin' daddy?" William asked.

"We're going to go outside, but we need to get your shoes and coat on so you stay warm. Okay?"

"Okay daddy."

He ran over to the basket by the door and pulled his shoes out, then delivered them to Mulder.

"Get the coat too?"

"Yeah, we'll get it in a minute."

He made sure William's shoes were on tightly, and put his coat on him, and met Scully coming down the stairs.

"Ready to brave the elements?"

"I think we are."

They headed outside, William trailing behind them. Scully settled Ellie in the baby swing and gave her a little push before following Mulder to the far end of the yard.

"Well, where do we start?"

"If you want to pull out all the weeds and dead plants, I'll rake the leaves."

"Alright. Will you keep an eye on William too?"

"I will if you will."

She rolled her eyes and pushed the wheelbarrow over to the flowerbed.

They worked for close to an hour, without much incident. Ellie fell asleep in the swing, so Scully took her inside, and William played happily in the sandbox.

They had gotten all the weeds pulled and the leaves raked, played in, and bagged up before noon. All that was left to do was get out the air compressor and blow out the sprinklers. Scully was cleaning the sand off of William so they could go inside when she heard a loud shout from Mulder.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone dragged the hose inside," he said, narrowing his eyes at William.

"Well, bring it back outside."

"I don't think you understand, Scully. He turned the hose on, and now you have a small creek running through your living room."

She stopped just short of hollering a profanity, scooped William up and went to check out the damage. Mulder's explanation of a small creek had been an understatement. It seemed that every inch of carpet was covered in water. Cold hose water, no less, which made the house absolutely frigid.

"William, why did you do this?"

He just shrugged his shoulders.

"Outside things do not come inside, ever. Got it?"

"Okay. Sorry momma."

She sighed, knowing that there was really nothing she could do about it now. The damage was done and they would just have to try and get the carpets to dry.

"What do you think we should do?"

She sighed.

"I have no idea. What do you do when your two year old floods your house?"

"I think we need to call someone."

She sighed again.

"How do we get into the house until then?"

"I guess we'll go through the garage. There might be some towels in the laundry room that we can put down until someone gets here."

"William, I don't know what to do with you."

"Oops?"

* * *

There was good news and bad news. The bad news was that there was so much water in the carpet that it and the padding under it were ruined. It would have taken more work and time than it was worth to fix it. So they were forced to have the carpet ripped out. The good news was that there was a solid oak floor underneath, which hadn't been touched by the water at all. It was in pristine condition and happened to blend in well with their furniture. They would have to get some throw rugs for the kids to play on, but in the end they preferred the hardwood over the carpet anyway.

Scully sighed as she flopped into bed that night, several hours later than she had planned. Her entire body ached, and she crossed her fingers, hoping the kids would stay in bed at least past seven in the morning. She wasn't sure she was ready to face anything but the inside of her eyelids. She felt Mulder flop down beside her and they turned and looked at each other.

"Kids are messy," she commented, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Says the woman who spent half her adult life up to her elbows in other people's entrails."

"Gross."

He chuckled and continued to stare at the ceiling.

"No offense honey, but I'm too tired to kiss you goodnight," she confessed.

"That's okay. I was thinking the same thing."

Her eyes were just sliding shut when she heard a cry from Ellie's room.

"Dear Lord, you have got to be kidding me right now."

Mulder chuckled.

"You wanted this, you know."

"Shut up," she grumbled, getting out of bed. "I might collapse from exhaustion and then what are you going to do?"

"Hire a nanny."

"Bite your tongue."

He chuckled and closed his eyes, glad that being the dad meant sleeping more at night. He'd receive the death glare in the morning for his uncompassionate ways, but for the moment, he was too tired to care. He'd make up for it in flowers later anyway.


	38. Lunch With Daddy

"Eh-yie, you are funny!" William shouted as he knelt on the floor next to her. She kicked her legs and giggled as he leaned down to blow another raspberry on her stomach.

"Mommy, you do it," William said as Scully came into the room with new clothes for Ellie. Scully chuckled and joined her kids on the floor, blowing a loud raspberry on Ellie's stomach.

"That was big, mommy."

"Yes, it was. Go get your shoes on. We're going to go see daddy."

"At the F.B.I.?"

"Yep. We're going to have lunch with him. You're going to have to be on your best behavior, okay?"

"Wiwum will be quiet," he whispered, putting a finger up to his mouth.

"Alright. Go ahead and get your shoes and your jacket, okay?"

"Okay. Eh-yie's too?"

"Yes please."

He skipped out of the room and Scully quickly dressed Ellie, who pulled at her shirt and sighed.

"Yes diaper baby, you have to get dressed now. I'm sorry. I know you hate it."

Ellie made a very grumpy face and Scully picked her up and kissed her warm cheek.

"Wiwum bring Eh-yie's shoes. Here mommy."

"Thanks bud. Can you get yours on?"

"I try."

He managed to get both shoes on and Scully reached over to tie them.

"Ready now?"

"Let me put Ellie in her seat and then we can go."

"Eh-yie doesn't like the seat."

"Well that's too bad," she chuckled, clicking the straps into place. Ellie looked up at her, very obviously angry about this turn of events. "I'm sorry, baby girl."

She hauled both kids out to the car and made sure they were both comfortable before starting the car and backing out of the driveway.

"Mommy, we see Papa Walter too?" William asked after a few moments of quiet.

"Maybe. We'll have to wait and see if he's busy."

"Okay."

He hummed quietly until they pulled into the parking garage.

"Daddy, we're here!" he shouted,, bouncing in his seat.

"Honey, he can't hear you."

"Why?"

"He's too far away. When we park the car we can call him, okay?"

"That's good."

She found a parking spot and pulled out her cell phone to call Mulder.

"William, do you want to talk to daddy?"

"Yes, please."

She handed the phone to him and could hear Mulder pick up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Daddy, I am Wiwum. We're at the FBI."

"William who?"

"Wiwum Mulder!"

"Oh, I see. Are you and mommy and Ellie all here?"

"Yep. We come inside?"

"Sure. Let me talk to mommy."

"Here mommy. Talk to daddy. He said so."

She smiled and took the phone from him.

"Hey."

"Hey. Want me to come out there and help you get the kids inside?"

"No, I think we're okay."

"Alright. I'll meet you in my office in a few then."

"Okay. Bye."

"We go now?"

"Yep. Unbuckle yourself and I'll come get you out."

It took some mommy gymnastics, but she managed to get them both out of the car and to the elevator. They ended up in the lobby and had to go through security. William's eyes grew big and he grabbed Scully's hand tightly.

"William, you need to go through the metal detector. I'll be right behind you."

He looked up at her and took a deep breath, then stepped the few feet through the detector.

"You passed the test!" the security officer told him. "Good job, buddy. Now you get to wear a badge."

He clipped the visitors pass onto William's shirt, and William grinned.

"Like daddy!"

"Yep. Here comes your mom."

Scully received her visitors pass, and after some insistence from William, so did Ellie. They made their way to another bank of elevators and luckily were the only ones on it.

"William, can you press the number five?"

"Five?"

"Yep. That's where daddy's office is."

"Okay."

He pressed the button and soon the doors opened to the very quiet fifth floor.

"I be quiet now?"

"Yep, there are people working."

They walked down the hallway and peeked in Mulder's open office door.

"Daddy!" William shouted, running into the room and jumping into his father's lap.

"Hey buddy. How are you doing?"

"Good. I got a badger!"

"A badge? Wow, now you look just like me."

William shook his head and pulled a clip on tie out of his pocket, then secured it to the collar of his t-shirt.

"Wiwum is daddy!"

Mulder laughed as Scully sat down in the chair across from the desk.

"Thanks for bringing lunch, honey. I didn't have time to leave the office. This paperwork is destroying my life."

She chuckled and took Ellie out of her car seat.

"We eat lunch now?" William asked, tapping his fingers on the desk.

"Yes, we can eat."

He jumped off of Mulder's lap and opened the lunch bag that Scully had brought.

"Tea for daddy. Water for mommy. Milk for Wiwum," he said, pulling various items out of the bag and putting them on the desk. "Where's Eh-yies?"

Mulder chuckled and Scully rolled her eyes at him before taking a bottle of rice cereal out of the diaper bag.

"I think daddy's going to feed Ellie today," Scully said, handing Ellie over the desk. Mulder smiled and kissed his daughter. He loved having a son, but there was something about having a little girl that thought he hung the moon.

Half an hour later, Mulder and Scully were in deep discussion about what to do for Christmas, when they heard a shout from William.

"No Eh-yie! No spit on daddy's paper!"

They both turned around to find that Ellie had moved from chewing on her toys to gumming all of Mulder's paperwork.

"Oh, Ellie!" Scully said, trying very hard not to laugh. Mulder sighed and picked up the papers.

"That's what I get for using the floor as a filing cabinet, huh?" he muttered. "Think Skinner will understand?"

"Maybe we'll visit him before we leave. Butter him up a bit."

"You might have to. Ellie has ink drool on her face."

"What are we going to do with you, Ellie?"

William patted Scully's leg and looked up at her.

"Nap time," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, we'd better go home."

"I'll walk you out."

They gathered the kids up and Mulder walked them back through security where William reluctantly relinquished his "badger."

"I'll be home in a few hours."

"Okay. Be safe."

"You too."

He kissed her and both of the kids, then headed back inside, counting down the hours until he could see them again. Only five to go.


	39. A Good Cry

A/N: Dear Mulder, Scully, William and Ellie: I'm sorry I've been neglecting you. I still love you, I swear. I just can never think of anything good enough for you to do.

This chapter is for my prince, my life, my joy, my most favorite nephew in the whole entire world. If I didn't have his smile and his "Rachel, I love you," and his "I need a cuddles" I don't know what I would do. I hear his shriek of laughter and I can feel the weight of him in my arms and it makes me so happy. I would do anything just to know that he was happy and healthy. Love? I think that's an understatement.

* * *

"Daddy's home," Mulder shouted as he came through the door. William jumped up from the couch and ran into the kitchen.

"Daddy! We seen Santa! Eh-yie cried loud. Nana laughed and mommy shaked her head."

"Really? What else did you do today?" Mulder asked.

"Me and mommy did cookies. And frosting."

"Did you save me any?"

"Yep. The big one."

"What kind of frosting?" he asked, heading into the other room.

"Green!"

"Sounds good. Hi honey," he said, bending down to kiss Scully who was folding a basket of laundry.

"Hey. How was work?"

"Longest meeting known to man. How was your day?"

"Well you heard that it ended with green frosting, so…"

He chuckled and joined her on the couch.

"And where is my other offspring?"

"She's napping. She had a hard day."

"So I hear."

William climbed down off of the couch and grabbed Mulder's hand.

"Daddy, we play baskuhball?"

"Maybe after dinner. I'm tired."

"You will take a nap?"

"No, I'm not that tired, bud," he answered with a chuckle.

"Eh-yie's up!" William shouted suddenly, right before Ellie's cry could be heard over the baby monitor. "She's calling for me!"

"Nah, she's calling for daddy. She needs a diaper change."

"I don't want to change a diaper."

"What do you think I've been doing all day, Mulder?" Scully asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

"I'll play you for it."

"Our daughter is sitting up there crying and getting a diaper rash and you want to play for it?"

"If we play PIG instead of HORSE, would that make you feel better?"

"You're on."

He stood up from the couch and found William's mini basketball. He bounced it once then shot it into the plastic hoop that hung from the front door.

"Right here, baby," he said, keeping his foot on the spot. Scully rolled her eyes, took the ball and made the shot perfectly. Mulder sighed and picked another spot, from which he missed his shot. Scully grinned, stepped back behind the couch and lobbed it easily into the hoop. Mulder took the shot and missed badly.

"You're home all day! You can practice!" he complained.

"You really think that's what I do?" she asked, walking into the kitchen and making another shot. He grumbled under his breath and took the shot. The ball teetered on the rim for a split second before falling to the ground.

"P-I, babe," Scully said, grabbing the ball and dribbling it on the floor. "You're getting rusty in your old age."

"I am not."

"I'm sorry, but you are. You wanna just admit defeat and go change that diaper?"

"Never."

She shook her head and sunk her third shot in a row.

"Uh-oh daddy," William said with a sigh.

"Hey, a little support would be appreciated."

Scully grinned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Make your shot, fly boy."

He sighed and missed the shot, throwing his arms up in defeat.

"Fine, I'll change the diaper."

"Ellie will appreciate it," she said, hugging him gently.

"You're cute when you're mean."

"I must be freaking adorable."

He rolled his eyes and headed upstairs while Scully went into the kitchen.

"Cookie, momma?" William asked, holding out his hand.

"You can have one after dinner, honey."

"Just a little?"

"Be patient, William."

"Okay."

He climbed up into his chair and started coloring the picture he had abandoned earlier in the morning.

"Hey Ellster," Mulder said over the baby monitor. "What'cha got for daddy?"

There was a long pause and then:

"Oh Ells! Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Scully, you wanna come up here and help me with this?"

"You're on your own, pig," she shouted back.

"This is a bad one. What have you been feeding her, beets?"

"Suck it up, soldier."

"Gross."

She heard a few more grumbles, then the sound of dry heaving.

"Oh come on Mulder, it isn't that bad," she scoffed, ascending the stairs and joining him in Ellie's room. "I can't believe you're actually-"

Her words were cut off as she entered the room.

"Holy," was the only thing she could say.

"I know. What the heck, Scully? It's like she ate a truckload of rutabagas."

"Our life is so glamorous," she deadpanned, taking over the diapering duties.

"Is stinky, mommy," William said from the doorway, holding his nose. "Yucky Eh-yie."

"We're aware of that, William. Believe it or not, you had some blowouts that were even worse than this. You just weren't considerate enough to save them for daddy. Ever."

"I go away now," he said, turning and leaving the room.

"You got it covered in here, Scully?"

"I think I'm our only hope in this situation."

"Thank you."

He followed William out of the room and Scully sighed and finished cleaning Ellie up.

"Someday honey, we'll escape to the mall and not have to deal with these crazy dudes all day long."

Ellie drooled in agreement and Scully kissed her plump, rosy cheek. She still had that fresh, innocent baby smell, especially when she first woke up. She was warm and cuddly and molded herself to Scully's chest.

"Are you still sleepy, Ellie Joy?"

"Mama," she muttered.

"Honey, did you say mama?"

"Mama," she repeated, lifting her head from Scully's shoulder. "Mama."

Scully smiled and hugged her. There was no feeling in the world like the word 'mama' being said for the first time.

"Let's go show daddy your new skills," she said, kissing her cheek again and heading downstairs.

"Mommy, daddy ate the cookie!" William reported as he rushed to her side.

"He did?"

"He lick off the frosting!"

"Before dinner?"

"Yup. He bad, mommy."

She snickered as Mulder crossed the room and took Ellie from her.

"You won't rat me out, will you baby girl?"

"Mama," she answered.

"Your first word is to betray me? My how the mighty have fallen," he said, kissing her forehead. She giggled and grabbed for his ear.

"Oh baby, you're slobbery."

"Eh-yie slobbery all the time," William clarified, climbing up on the table and reaching for the cookies.

"William, what did I say?" Scully asked, scooping him up and settling him on the floor.

"Later," he sighed, crossing his arms. "Dinner now?"

"In a little while. I need to go put some clothes away, but maybe you can help daddy feed Ellie some carrots."

"She spit them out."

"Well maybe some applesauce then. I'll be right back."

She took the laundry basket off of the couch and headed up stairs while Mulder looked in the cupboard for Ellie's baby food.

"Daddy, Eh-yie don't like carrots."

"I know. I'm finding something else. Does she like bananas?"

"Yep. I have the lid?"

Mulder nodded and popped the lid off so William could lick it.

"Daddy, it like bananas!"

"That's kind of the idea, buddy."

Ellie ate half the jar before making a face and pulling away from the spoon.

"She don't want more, daddy."

"I figured. Dinner must be ready to come out of the oven. Will you go see where mommy is?"

He skipped out of the room and Mulder cleaned up Ellie's face. He had even managed to get banana in her hair. He used a rag to get the majority out, but figured the rest could wait until bath time.

"Daddy!" William shouted, running into the kitchen. "Mommy's owies. She's crying!"

"What?"

"Upstairs. She is sad."

"Is she hurt?"

"No. Just cryin'."

"I'll go check on her. Entertain your sister."

"Okay, daddy."

He went upstairs to their bedroom and peeked his head inside. Scully was sitting on the side of the bed, her eyes trained on the carpet.

"Honey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she sniffled.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Did you just need a cry?"

"Yes."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her hair.

"I'll leave you to it. We'll be downstairs if you need anything."

"Thanks."

* * *

Hours later, the kids were warm and sweet smelling, having just taken their bath. Ellie was finishing her bottle while Mulder rocked her to sleep. She still looked positively miniscule in his arms, and probably always would.

Scully had combed William's hair and was tucking him into bed. He'd taken to sleeping with several stuffed animals lately, even some of Ellie's dolls. Mulder thought this was odd behavior, but Scully figured that he was just trying to stay warm.

"Mommy, where's Andy 'Accoon?"

"Randy Raccoon is right next to your pillow. Missing anybody else?"

"Hillbilly Hound Dog!"

Scully rescued the overall clad stuffed dog from the floor and settled it on the bed.

"All my stuffies," William said, snuggling into his pillow. "Kiss me night, mommy."

She chuckled and leaned down to kiss him.

"Goodnight, sweet boy. I love you."

"I love you mommy. Just big."

She smiled and brushed his velvety hair off of his forehead.

"Go to sleep, William. I'll see you in the morning."

"Have good dreams, mommy."

She slipped out of the room and found Mulder still rocking Ellie.

"Are you going to help me?" she asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Yeah. I just don't want to wake her up when I move her."

"I think she's out, honey."

"Okay, so maybe I don't want to put her down just yet."

"I'm going to get the wrapping paper then. Meet me downstairs when you're ready."

"I'll just be a few more minutes."

Scully left the room and gathered the wrapping paper and ribbon from the closet. William wouldn't appreciate the wrapping, but she felt obligated to do it anyway. The bright, shiny colors were all a part of Christmas.

She went into the bedroom where the presents were, and organized them into piles. The kids didn't need much, so there weren't that many presents to wrap, but as with all children's toys, they were odd shapes. She was certain that Mulder would be ripping off lots of paper and starting over at least twice before they were finished.

"If you wrap, I'll do the bows," he said as he came into the room.

"I knew you were going to say that."

"I never cut enough paper."

"I have a couple bags, you can do those."

"Alright."

He sat down next to her, and they worked in silence for a while, wrapping presents and tagging them with the appropriate name.

"Honey, did I give you the pajamas?"

"The Christmas eve ones? Yeah, they're right here."

"I have to mark those or I'll forget which ones they are."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Earlier tonight… are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yeah. It was just one of those things, I guess."

"What started it?"

"I was putting the kids clothes away. I just started thinking about them and how much I love them and it just kind of… came out."

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair.

"It's kind of overwhelming sometimes, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Think it ever won't be?"

"I hope not."

He kissed her forehead then stood up.

"If I remember correctly, there are cookies downstairs with green frosting on them, and they are calling our names."

She grinned and took his hand, following him downstairs, her heart full to bursting.


	40. Merry Christmas

A/N: I am writing this while watching Roseanne. Um…. Sorry it's been soooo long. I didn't mean to have to have a job. I wanted to be independently wealthy.

* * *

"Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!"

"It's five in the morning," Mulder groaned, pulling his pillow over his head. "Go back to sleep, William."

"But the presents!"

"They'll still be there in a few hours."

"Mommy?"

"Daddy's right, buddy," Scully said, keeping her face pressed into the mattress. William fell silent for moment then tugged on Mulder's hand.

"Please daddy?" he whispered, peeking under the pillow. Mulder reached out and pulled him into the bed with them.

"You're funny daddy."

"I know. Go to sleep."

"I am excited," he said, lacing his fingers behind his head and sighing. Scully snorted in amusement and rolled over to look at him.

"Just wait a few more hours, honey."

"I like Christmas."

"We know."

He closed his eyes, but his feet were twitching with anticipation. Scully opened her eyes and lifted her head and found Mulder starting straight back at her.

"Alright William, let's go open presents."

He whooped and jumped off of the bed, then ran out of the room.

"Don't open anything!" Mulder shouted after him, rubbing his eyes.

"I get Eh-yie!" William shouted back.

"No, please don't!"

Scully jumped out of bed, remembering last week when William had climbed into Ellie's crib and lowered her to the floor by her arms. Ellie hadn't seemed to mind, but had crawled halfway to the stairs before Scully found them.

William was standing by the crib, reaching through the bars for Ellie, who looked utterly confused about what was going on.

"Presents now!"

"Let me change Ellie's diaper first. Go help daddy get some coffee ready."

"I have some coffee?"

"Tell daddy and he'll make you some."

William had no idea that his coffee was actually hot chocolate, and he felt so important drinking it.

Soon they were all downstairs, Ellie bundled up in a blanket and content in Mulder's lap. William sat on his knees on the floor, bouncing up and down.

"What do you want to open first, William?"

"The blue!"

She handed him the box wrapped with blue paper and he turned it over and over in his hands.

"Now what?"

"Open it," Mulder prompted with a chuckle.

"How?"

Scully grinned and ripped a little piece of the paper off.

"That's okay?"

"Yeah, buddy. Let that present have it."

He smiled and ripped into the paper, finding a toy dump truck.

"Wowie! I play now!"

He struggled to get the truck out of the box and just ended up bending the cardboard.

"Mommy?"

"Let's let daddy get that out and we'll open another one, okay?"

He nodded and soon they had a rhythm going. He would unwrap a present, ask to play with it, hand it to Mulder, then open another. Ellie watched him with bleary eyes grinning when he would show her his new toys.

"William, why don't you let Ellie open a present now?"

"Okay," he said, jumping off the couch and heading to the tree. "Eh-yie, this is from me because I love you."

She drooled and stuck the present in her mouth.

"No spit on the present! I help you."

He took the present from her and she stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Look, it's a dolly! She has more hair than you, Eh-yie. What's her name?"

"Bay," Ellie replied, sticking the doll's hand in her mouth.

"Mommy Eh-yie don't know how to name babies!"

"That's okay, William. Why don't you give daddy a present?"

"Okay! I be Santa!"

* * *

"Mulder, I just found pine needles in your daughter's diaper," Scully said, settling Ellie into her high chair. "I thought you were watching her."

"I was. But you know how fast she crawls, honey. She must have gotten to some before I could stop her."

"Well, yeah I suppose."

"Hey, when can we eat?"

She sighed and checked the turkey in the oven.

"A little while. Would you go get William dressed?"

"Scully, I don't think we can rip him away from those toys."

"Would you try? He really needs to get dressed. Your mom is going to be here soon."

"So's your mom."

"Yeah, but your mom is the one who likes the formal Christmas, while my mom doesn't really care."

"What are you saying about my mom?"

"Nothing, Mulder. She just likes everyone to be dressed up. And that's fine. But you're going to have to help me out here."

"Alright, what do you want him to wear?"

"I laid it out on his bed already."

Mulder stood up from the table and went into the other room.

"Come on, William. Time to get dressed."

"But I playing with trains."

"I know. Just take a break for a few minutes and come get dressed."

"Oh alright."

They walked up the stairs and after a moment, Scully heard Mulder shout.

"Does he really have to wear the tie?"

"Yes he does."

"Oh come on."

"Babe, would you please just cooperate? That is the outfit your mom bought for him and he's going to wear it."

"You know, she did this to me too."

"Mulder, it's one day, and the tie is a clip on. He's complaining less than you are."

She heard him sigh and she rolled her eyes. He was more of a child than William was.

"Mommy, take my picture!" William said as he came into the room. "I'm handsome."

She laughed and took the camera off of the counter. He struck a pose and she took his picture before he ran into the den. He came out dragging Mulder's briefcase in one hand and a rolled up newspaper in the other.

"I'm handsome daddy!"

She laughed and took his picture again before he got bored and walked over to Ellie's high chair. He stole a Cheerio from her tray and she shouted and tried to steal it back, but he was too fast. She wailed and Scully walked over and gave her another Cheerio.

"William, don't steal from your sister."

"But she not eatin' them!"

"I know, but they're hers. Do you want a few olives?"

"Oh yes please!"

"The grandma's are here," Mulder said as he came into the room.

"Crap, I still have to get dressed," Scully muttered, wiping her hands off on her jeans.

"Crap!" William repeated, shoving an olive in his mouth.

"William."

"Sorry."

"I'll be back in two minutes. Please make sure they don't get their clothes messed up."

"They'll be fine," Mulder said, walking to the front door. "Go change before my mom sees you in jeans on a holiday."

She ran upstairs and changed into black slacks and a cream colored sweater, dabbed on a little make-up used a little bit of hairspray. Mulder's mother wouldn't do a white glove test, but dressing up for family dinners and holidays was important to her. Scully didn't really mind anyway.

She went back downstairs where William was showing off his new presents. He was animatedly telling his grandmothers about the trains and cars he had gotten, happy to have an audience.

"Hey."

Mulder's voice was deep in her ear and she turned slightly to look at him.

"Hey back."

"Those pants. You need to wear them more often."

"Oh really?"

"Oh yeah."

"I'll try and keep that in mind."

"And the sweater? I don't hate it."

"Good to know."

He gave her a little squeeze and moved away, but she grabbed his tie and pulled him back.

"I'm not the only one that looks good today."

"Is that right?"

"Don't loosen your tie in front of anybody."

"Scully."

"I'm just sayin'."

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, his hand coming to rest on her neck where her pulse was strong.

"Ahem."

They broke apart to find Teena, Maggie and William looking at them, all with amusement on their faces.

"Uh, Merry Christmas," Scully said, trying to correct the smear of lipstick she could feel on her now flushing cheek.

"Merry Christmas," Maggie said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Um, dinner will be ready in a few minutes. William, do you want to take Grandma and Nana and show them where to sit?"

He nodded and pulled them in to the formal dining room, while Mulder sat at the table with a smirk on his face.

"That was your fault."

"Me?"

"You started it."

"You were the one who grabbed my tie. You know about that."

"Well… you… shut up, Mulder."

* * *

"Next Christmas," Scully said as she flopped down onto the couch, "You and me and the kids and that's it."

"Really?"

"I love that the kids have grandmothers that can be here all the time. I love that their grandmothers get along so well. But I hate the fact that said grandmothers are also mothers and do not understand that their own kids have grown up and don't need their hands held in the kitchen."

"I am taking it that I was safer carving the turkey in the other room."

"A thousand times yes. I mean honestly, I make okay gravy, right? Martha Stewart doesn't endorse it, but it hasn't sent anyone to the hospital yet. But my mom just thinks she has to tell me to measure things and I am so not a measuring kind of person. And then your mom with the whole "Gravy Boat, With or Without a Ladle" dilemma makes me want to just never have Christmas again."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. There's a few months to recover before Easter. Ham gravy, that's going to be fun."

He chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

"You're a good sport."

"I'm a freakin' saint."

"I know what will make you feel better."

"Is it chocolate?"

"No."

"You're trying my patience."

He grinned and pulled a very thin package off of the coffee table. It was wrapped in plain paper and didn't even have a bow. Truth be told, it looked like a piece of cardboard. She lifted her eyebrow at him and opened the package to find a calendar.

"Mul-"

"Open it. To April."

She sighed and was tempted to ask why, but she had learned over the last several years that it was better to just do.

April fifth through April tenth was blocked off with blue marker, and the word "Vacation" was scrawled across the blocks.

"What?"

"You. Me. Vacation."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What about the kids?"

"The grandmas are going to take care of them."

"For five days?"

"They'll be fine."

"Where are we going?"

"Can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because. I can't. Deal."

"But I want to know," she said, sliding his tie through her fingers. He pushed her hand away and she pouted.

"No can do."

"Just a hint?"

"Nope. You need to just enjoy being surprised. Okay?"

She sighed and leaned back against the couch.

"Alright. But I'm snooping from now on. Consider yourself warned."

"Baby, you're never going to find anything or figure it out. Besides, I really want to surprise you. So don't try to guess, okay?"

"Okay, I promise."

"Come on, let's go to bed."

"You're a frustrating man," she said, taking his proffered hand and following him up the stairs.

"Yeah, but you love me."

"That I do, Mulder. That I do."


	41. Happy Anniversary

Scully spent the next four months trying to prepare for a trip she knew nothing about. No destination, no mode of transportation, no list of activities. She didn't know what to pack, or what kind of weather to pack for. Of course she had made Mulder aware of this fact to which he had responded "Fine. I'll pack for you."

Now she was curious and worried.

It was the day before they were to leave and she was frantically trying to get last minute things together. She needed to make sure that the house was stocked with enough baby food, diapers and pull ups, and all the other things the kids would need while she was gone. She didn't want Maggie or Teena to have to go out and get things.

Ellie was happily sitting in the front of the cart while William walked slowly alongside them. He had his hands in his jacket pockets because Scully was tired of telling him not to touch things. He was leaving his hand in his pocket while he touched things instead, which was too clever for her to reprimand. She just pretended not to notice.

"Mommy?"

"What, buddy?"

"We get some candy?"

"We'll see."

"Not for Eh-yie. She too little."

"Yep."

He sighed and examined a package of baby wipes, then bent down to re-velcro his shoe.

"I just need to get a few more things and then we'll go home."

"You sick?" he asked as she tossed a box of Tylenol into the cart.

"No, we're just out."

He nodded and followed her to the candy aisle.

"Okay buddy, you can pick one thing and we'll share it."

His eyes lit up and he carefully examined each bright package.

"I see on the top?"

She lifted him up and he scanned the rest of the candy, finally deciding on some peanut M&M's. They made their way to the checkstands and stood in line. William hummed to himself and looked at the impulse buy items while Scully went over her shopping list one last time.

"Mama, you hold me?" William asked, tugging on her hand. He only called her mama when he was tired.

"I don't really have any hands to hold you right now, honey."

"Okay."

He was quiet for a moment, then turned around to look at the old man behind them.

"These are mine!" he shouted, holding up the M&M's. "I share them with mommy."

"It's a good idea to share with mommy," the man said with a smile.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Clarence. What's your name?"

"I be William. This baby Eh-yie. She spit on the cart."

Scully turned around to find Ellie gumming the handle of the cart.

"Oh Ellie, gross. That has germs!"

William and Clarence laughed while Ellie frowned. She had been quite content with the cart handle. Scully handed her a teething ring and started to put their purchases on the conveyor belt.

"William, can you put the M&M's up here please?"

He obeyed and tossed the candy onto the counter, then climbed up onto the side of the cart.

"We go home now, mama?"

"Yes, we'll go home."

"Bye Clarence!" he said, taking one hand off the cart and waving. "See you later!"

They went out to the car and Scully managed to load the bags and the kids pretty quickly.

"Mommy," William said as she started the car.

"Yeah honey?"

"Clarence be my favorite friend."

* * *

Mulder knew Scully would have a hard time saying goodbye to the kids. She didn't like leaving them even for the evening and he imagined it would take a long time to convince her to leave them for a week. She'd actually done pretty well until William's eyes got big and his voice got quiet.

"You tuck me in, mommy?"

"Not tonight, baby."

"See you in the morning?"

"No honey. You get to stay with grandma."

"But I miss you, mommy."

"I know honey. I'll call you tonight before bed, okay?"

He reached up and hugged her around the neck, burying his face in her hair.

"I love you mommy."

"I love you too, William. You have fun with grandma and take care of Ellie, okay?"

He nodded and she released him then stood up. Mulder could see that the tears were threatening to fall, and he knew it would be best to whisk her away quickly.

"We'd better get going. We'll call when we get there."

A few more hugs and they were out the door. Scully could hear William start to cry as the door closed and she wanted so badly to go back in, but she knew he would be fine. Mulder slid his hand into hers and pulled her towards the car, where he held the door for her to get in.

"You okay?" he asked, once he shut the door.

"You're taking me on this top secret vacation for a week. And I'm excited and I can't wait to see where we're going. But I also just had to walk away from my crying son, so I kind of hate you right now too."

"I'm sorry, honey."

"He'll be fine, I know. He's probably fine already. Now, where are we going?"

"Airport."

"And where after that?"

"The long term parking structure."

"And then?"

"The ticket counter."

"Mulder…"

"Just be patient."

"I've been patient for four months. I want to know."

"Yes, four months, so another four hours isn't going to be that bad."

"Four hours?!"

"More like one. Just sit back and relax, and we'll be there soon."

She grinned and reached her hand out for his sighing when his fingers touched hers. They rode that way in silence until they got to the airport.

"Is it going to be a long flight?"

"I don't know."

"There is no way I'm getting anything out of you, is there?"

"Nope. Not at all."

"I feel like we're back in field and you're dangling the case file just out of my reach."

"I only did that once."

She chuckled and followed him up to the ticket counter, where he managed to check them in without revealing their destination. They checked their bags and headed through security, to their gate and sat down.

"Mul-"

Her question was cut short and he put a journal into her hands. She stared at it for a second before saying anything.

"Mulder, where are we going?"

"It's in the book."

"Did you make reservations?"

"It's in the book."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Honey, read the book."

She opened the front cover and found his handwriting, slightly neater than usual, covering the page.

_Dana,_

_Right at this moment, you're sitting in the airport, one eyebrow up in question as you wonder where the heck in the world we could possibly be going. I knew I wanted to take you somewhere special, but it seems that over the last ten years together (yes ten years since you walked down to the basement in your too big suit, stuck your hand out and turned my world upside down) we have been all over the country. I went through state by state, trying to figure out what we had seen, what we hadn't, where we would want to take the kids later. I realized that there was one place we had been, but never really got to see._

_We're going to spend the next four days in Seattle. We can be tourists and hit all the typical attractions, or we can find the places the locals like, blend into the crowd and not make any plans. We'll figure it our when we get there. _

_Yes, I have reservations. Yes, I have a rental car. Yes, said car has a map in it, just for you. I even have a roll of quarters for parking. _

_Than you for being my partner, my best friend, my wife, and the mother of my children. I couldn't imagine anyone better for what may be the most difficult job in the world. I love you so much and I can't wait to spend this time with you._

_Happy Anniversary honey!_

_Love,_

_Mulder_

She turned and looked at him, her eyes full of tears and a smile gracing her lips.

"You really did all this?"

"Yep. Do you know how hard it was to keep it a secret? I had to write everything down. That's what's in the rest of the book."

She looked down at the book, and a tear slipped off of her cheek and onto the cover. He had literally written her a love story.

"I can't even… I don't know what to say."

"Is this what you expected?"

"Not at all."

"Are you happy?"

"Very."

He smiled and pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead. Neither of them had the eloquent words to say, that there were only a few short words that really covered all the bases.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

A/N: Mulder got this idea from my dad. For serious. And no, we're not going to follow them on their vacation. Married people (even fictional ones) need some alone time every now and again.


	42. Cabin Fever, In a Rut

"Stop it, Eh-yie!" William shouted, pushing Ellie away from his toys. "Go away!"

"William, be nice to your sister," Scully warned from the kitchen where she was up to her elbows in neglected dishes. She thought the kids would take a nap after lunch, but they had yet to show signs of settling down. They were both fighting colds, which made them cranky and explosive, not to mention snotty of both connotations. She sighed as she heard more fussing, then a loud shriek.

"Eh-yie, zip it!"

Sound of slapping.

Sound of crying.

"William, what did you do?" Scully asked as she found Ellie wailing on the floor and William standing on the other side of the room.

"Nothin'."

"William."

"Eh-yie bit me!"

"She doesn't even have teeth!"

"It hurt."

"Why is she crying?"

"I swat her mouth."

"William!"

"She loud and naughty!"

"Yeah, and you're naughty too. You know you're not supposed to hit your sister."

"Yes."

She sighed and blew her hair off her forehead. She hoped it was just a phase, but they had been bickering a lot. Maybe it was the sudden drop in temperature that kept them cooped up inside. Maybe it was that they were bored with each other. Or maybe this was just a brother and sister thing.

"William go to your room for a time out."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No, mommy. I will not!"

"You will too."

"But I won't like it!"

"Well that's your problem," she said with a shrug.

It was a very subdued punishment, but she couldn't really muster more than that. He walked up the stairs slowly, his arms crossed, but none of the usual whining and pouting that was so often a part of the time out routine. He must really be under the weather.

She took Ellie upstairs and tucked her in to her crib where she fell asleep almost instantly. Scully rolled her neck and decided to take a nap herself. When she got into the bedroom though, she found that Mulder had left his pajamas on the bed, and yesterday's clothes on the floor. She stood with her hands on her hips for a long time before moving all his clothes to the floor next to his side of the bed and flopping down against her pillows.

It had been about two weeks after their vacation that the arguments had started. They weren't serious ones, rarely even involved yelling, but they had been stressful none the less. The kids had been clingy and whiny, which didn't help matters. She was tired.

She did feel bad for getting upset with Mulder about his clothes, so she pulled his pillow under her head and inhaled deeply before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

Mulder found them all in the bedroom several hours later when he got home. Scully was putting pictures into photo albums and Ellie was chewing on a toy. William was laying on his stomach, his chin propped up in his hands, entranced by _The Busy World of Richard Scarry_. Mulder crossed the room and found himself ankle deep in dirty clothes. It only took a flick of an eyebrow for him to get the point. Oops.

"No one says hi to daddy?" he asked, sitting down on the bed and pulling Ellie into his lap.

"Dadda!" she exclaimed, trading her toy for his tie.

"Are you the only one who missed me today?"

"I missed you Daddy," William said, kicking his feet in the air.

"What about mommy? Did she miss me or is she still mad at me for drinking all the milk and leaving my clothes on the floor and forgetting to bring more milk home tonight?"

"I missed you and I'm mad at you. How 'bout them apples?"

"Are you going to kiss me hello, or is the mad going to take over?"

She couldn't help the smile that crept across her face and she leaned over and kissed him softly.

"I'm going to change my clothes and run out for some more milk. Want me to pick up anything else?"

"No, stay here. We don't need the milk that bad. I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow anyway."

"I'm forgiven? That easy?"

"You owe me a back rub."

"Alright, I can deal," he said, lifting Ellie above his head and making airplane noises. She giggled and drooled right on his face.

"Ells, you are the soggiest child I have ever known in my life."

She hiccupped and put her fist in her mouth while he found a burp rag to wipe his face with.

"Want me to make something for dinner?"

"There's something in the oven already."

"Honey, are you really upset with me?"

"No, I just don't feel well."

"Want me to take the kids downstairs so you can rest?"

"I'm okay. But thanks for the offer."

He nodded and looked over her shoulder at the pictures she was putting into the albums.

"Wow."

"What?"

"Look how young we looked."

She looked down at the picture he was pointing at and smiled. It had been taken at her mom's house a few years ago on Thanksgiving. William was just a few months old and looked even smaller than Ellie did now. It seemed like a lifetime ago. It seemed like yesterday.

"Even then we had no idea what we were getting into."

"So naïve."

He smiled and they looked through the pictures quietly for a while before they found one that had to have been at least five years old. They were sitting at her mom's piano and he was teaching her how to play. She'd been a terrible student, getting in his way, playing the wrong notes on purpose. He'd been a good sport and her mom had managed to get a picture when they were both smiling.

"I don't think I knew how much I loved you then."

She looked over at him, noticing that his eyes were misting up.

"And now?"

"Now, just when I think I can't love you more, I discover that I do."

"Even when I get mad at you for stupid stuff and nag you to take the garbage out and am always to tired to even talk to you and even when we've had grilled cheese or hot dogs three nights in a row?"

"Yes, even then."

She smiled and he hugged her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I think that once these colds go away, we need to get out of the house. Take the kids to the zoo or something. They've got cabin fever and it's getting to you too."

"That would be good. Thanks for putting up with it all."

"Well you've got dinner in the oven. It's the least I could do."

She couldn't respond but to roll her eyes.


	43. Story Teller

A/N: Man have I had X-Files writers block…

* * *

"William, it's time to color eggs!" Mulder called up the stairs. He heard feet running around and soon William appeared around the corner.

"I color them blue?" he asked, taking the stairs carefully, his hand moving down the wall to help keep his balance.

"You can color them any color you want. Mommy got Buzz Lightyear stickers too."

"Buzz Lightyear to a rescue!" he shouted, jumping off the bottom step and running into the kitchen. He hopped up to the table, his eyes growing wide at the assortment of eggs, colors, and stickers.

"I do this, Scully?"

"My name is mommy."

"Mulda call you Scully."

"That's because I'm not his mommy."

"Ok, Scully."

She sighed and shook her head, handing the baby a graham cracker. Ellie looked at it for a second then shoved it into her mouth, her three teeth working overtime to try and break the graham cracker into a more manageable piece.

"How I color them eggs?" William asked taking a hardboiled egg out of the carton. He looked it over with a sigh before turning his attention to Mulder. "I use crayons?"

"Nope. We're going to dunk them in the coloring. You've got to be gentle so you don't splash, okay?"

William did as he was told, settling his egg into the bowl.

"Done?"

"Wait a few minutes so it gets good and colored. Do you want to make another egg? Maybe a green one?"

"I want to wait for blue, Mulda."

"My name is daddy."

"Uh-huh," he answered, staring down at his egg.

The three of them worked in silence for a while, coloring, stickering and painting to their heart's content. Ellie banged on her highchair a few times, but was placated with Cheerios.

"Why we color them eggs?" William asked once all the eggs were done.

"For Easter," Mulder replied.

"Who is Easter? Why he need eggs?"

"Easter is a holiday, son."

"Oh. So we go to gramma's?"

"Yes, we're going to grandmas."

"I eat pickles!" he shouted, hopping down from the table. Family holiday dinners found William right by the relish tray, his hands grabbing pickles and olives as if they were the only things that sustained him.

"We go now?"

"No, we're going tomorrow."

He nodded and scampered off into the other room, finding his cars on the floor and plopping down to play with them. Ellie squealed at his departure, grunting as she reached for the other room.

"Alright, alright," Scully said, lifting her out of the chair. Ellie's foot met with a bowl of coloring on the table, tipping it over, soaking her sock, Scully's jeans, and the floor.

"I thought we made it all the way through that without disaster," Mulder said, stripping Ellie's sock off her foot. She gave him a gummy smile and Scully handed her over.

"I'm going to go change. Can you clean up the floor?"

"Sure. And I'll get rid of this water too."

She escaped upstairs and Mulder took Ellie into the other room to play with William while he cleaned up. He listened to them play as he worked, their giggles wafting over to him. They were the best of friends and the worst of enemies, depending on how close it was to naptime.

"William, do you want a treat?" Mulder asked, offering William a sugar Peep.

"Okay," he said, opening his mouth. He took a small bite and chewed it for a second.

"Ew!"

He spit the half chewed candy onto the floor and Mulder sighed and picked it up.

"I guess you don't want candy. Too bad. More for me."

"Mulda, that icky."

"My name is daddy."

"Okay, okay."

"Mulder, it's almost bedtime. Can you get pajama's ready while I run their bath?"

"Sure."

"I have bubbles tonight, Scully Mommy?"

"If you stop calling me Scully you can."

"Okay, mommy."

She took him into the bathroom and he stood next to the tub, watching as it filled with warm water and bubbles. He loved his bath, even if it meant that he had to go to bed soon.

"I get in," he said, struggling to get out of his clothes. Scully helped him and then lifted him into the bathtub where he started to play with his boats. Mulder brought Ellie in a few minutes later, and she joined William, splashing the water on her side of the tub, while William tried hard to stay out of her way.

"Mommy, Eh-yie splashin' too much. She is so wet!"

"Yeah, you're supposed to get wet in the bathtub, buddy."

"She is so wet," he muttered again, shaking his head.

They finished their baths and Scully got them dressed in their pajamas. Ellie sniffled and rubbed her eyes, fighting sleep even as she was lowered down into her crib.

"Mommy."

"Go to sleep little girl."

She brushed Ellie's hair back, then slipped from the room and headed down the hallway. William was standing in front of his toybox, bent over and searching for something near the bottom.

"William, what are you doing?"

"I find a toy to sleep with," he answered, his voice muffled by his toys.

"Oh, I should have known," Scully smirked, pulling his covers back.

"Got one!" he exclaimed, struggling out of the box with his prize. It was a large plastic airplane, complete with moving propellers. She just sighed and shook her head as he crawled underneath the covers.

"Tonight, you tell me a story."

"You know I'm not a good story teller," she said, tucking the blankets around him tightly. He smiled and reached his tiny hand up to her neck. Tugging her toward him he kissed her cheek.

"You can try, mommy."

"What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"About you and daddy."

She sighed and pushed her hair off of her forehead. None of their stories seemed appropriate to tell a two year old before bed time.

"Did daddy ever tell you about Big Blue?"

"Nope. Who's Big Blue?"

"Let me start at the beginning. A long, long time ago-"

"In a taxi far, far away?"

"Well, not exactly," Scully chuckled. "It was a Ford Taurus and it really wasn't all that far away. Daddy had heard about a bunch of people that went missing after being at a place called Heuvelman's lake."

"Where is that, mommy?"

"Way down south where banana's grow."

"Oh. Did you rescue the people?"

"No, we got there too late. See, daddy was convinced that there was a monster in the lake."

"But monsters is not real mommy! Daddy says."

"I know. I suppose he didn't really think it was a monster. He kind of thought it was a dinosaur."

"Dinosaurs is dead!"

"Well, your daddy is crazy."

"I am not," Mulder said from the doorway. "I think mommy needs help telling this story."

"Okay!"

"Well geez William, you don't have to be that excited."

"Daddy does stories the best."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, mommy got part of the story wrong. I really did think it was a dinosaur that was living in the lake. I thought it was a dinosaur that had survived that we humans had never found."

"Like Waldo."

"Yeah, kind of like Waldo. Mommy didn't believe that it was a dinosaur, because she's what we in the biz like to call a skeptic."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she has no imagination," Mulder said, joining them on the bed.

"I have imagination, I am just blessed with more common sense than you are, honey."

"Well anyway. We both agreed that we weren't sure what kind of creature was in the lake, but we knew we had to find out before more people went missing."

"Right, but first, we had to make the sheriff believe us. He wasn't a very nice man at first and he thought we were wasting his time. But then he fell into the lake and he decided it would be a good idea to help us."

"So then your mom and I decided to take a boat out into the lake to see if we could find the creature. Now mommy would have been a good boat driver, but before we could even get up to cruising speed, something big hit the boat and put a hole in it."

"Did it sink?"

"Yep, it was sinking. So me and mommy had to get out of the boat and swim away. We were stuck on some rocks for a while and then someone came and told us where the shore was. Once we were back on dry land, we heard the creature in the bushes."

"He was coming? He was coming?" William asked excitedly.

"He was. So I got my gun and I went to find him. And pretty soon, he was chasing me. And I was running as fast as I could and before I knew what was happening, I had fallen down."

William's eyes were huge, and he was hanging on every word, almost drooling out of the corner of his mouth.

"I didn't know what to do. That thing would be there any second and I had to act fast. So I took my gun and I aimed towards the noise and I shot. And then the woods got very quiet. And I found my flashlight, and I looked over and I saw what the monster was."

"What was it daddy?"

"It was… are you ready for this?"

"Yes!"

"It was an alligator."

"Wow," William whispered. It was actually kind of an anticlimactic story, but he was still enthralled.

"Then what happened?"

"Well, then we went home."

"Did the alligator die?"

"Yeah."

"He was bad."

"He was just trying to survive."

"He shoulda eated animals, not people."

"Well, I guess that's true."

"Okay, I can go to sleep now."

They kissed his cheeks and headed for the door.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah buddy."

"When I get big, I will hunt monsters too."

"Okay buddy."

"I will find them and they will live with me."

"Sounds good."

"I will name one Arthur."

They smiled and closed his door, exchanging glances with each other. William never failed to amuse them with the things he said.

"You ready for bed?" Mulder asked, grabbing Scully around the waist and pulling her close.

"I might be."

"Yeah?"

She smiled into his kiss as he pulled her down the hallway.

"Honey, just one thing," she said, breaking the kiss.

"What?"

"I have an imagination."

"I know you do."

"Not as much as you do, but I get by."

"Agreed. And I have common sense."

"Of course."

"Not as much as you do, but I get by."

Her laughter trailed down the hall and into the bedroom, staying there behind the closed door.


	44. A Day Out

"William," Scully called up the stairs. "Are you almost ready to go?"

"I gettin' toys!"

"Honey, you don't need toys. We're going to the park."

"One boat?"

"Okay, but you don't need a whole flotilla."

He came out of his room with a plastic boat in his hand and his shoes on the wrong feet.

"Mommy, we get Ellie and Daddy too."

"Nope, they're going to stay here."

"Why?"

"Because, I think you're getting stir crazy and so am I."

"What'sat mommy?"

"It means we need to get out of the house."

"Okay."

He hopped down the stairs and followed her into the kitchen where she was putting snacks into his backpack. She'd decided a long time ago that she and Mulder each needed to have days alone with each kid, and now they finally had time to do it. Scully was taking William to the park and the library, and Mulder was going to spend the day teaching Ellie to walk. Scully was certain that she and William would have a much more successful day, but Mulder usually accomplished what he set his mind to, so maybe she would come home to a toddling daughter.

"Mulder, we're leaving!"

"Okay. Drive safe."

They headed out the door and William climbed into his car seat, pulling on the seatbelt until he managed to get it clicked into place.

"William, we need to put your shoes on the right feet."

"They're not?"

"Nope. Look, see how this side is curvy?"

"Okay."

"That matches with where your foot is curvy."

"Oh."

"You won't remember that later will you?"

"Nope!"

She chuckled and finished with his shoes, then got in the car and backed out of the driveway.

"Hey buddy?"

"Yeah mommy?"

"What is your whole name?"

"William Asher Levi Mulder! And Ellie is Lizbeth Samanner Joy Mulder!"

"Do you know daddy's name?"

"Fox William Mulder. And mommy is Dana Kafine Mulder."

"You're very smart."

"No, I'm two!"

"Well now you're just goofy."

"Oh mommy. I is not," he sighed, shaking his head.

They fell silent and William stared out the window, watching other cars and making a few comments about different things he saw.

"Mommy?"

"What honey?"

"You get me a motorcycle?"

"A motorcycle? What do you want a motorcycle for?"

"I go fast! I drive you to the store."

"But if we're on a motorcycle where would we put the groceries?"

"You can hold them."

"Oh, thanks buddy."

"You welcome."

* * *

"And now this!" William exclaimed, hopping off the end of the slide and heading for the swings. Scully took a deep breath and followed him, already tired even though they had only been at the park for an hour. William ran from one thing to the next, climbing, jumping, and crawling over every piece of play equipment. It was slightly chilly out, but he had discarded his coat a while ago.

"Mommy, lift me up!" he shouted, pointing at the swing. She picked him up and settled him on the plastic swing, making sure his grip was tight before giving him a little push.

"I'm a big kid, mommy! I don't have a baby swing like Ellie."

"No, you don't," she said with a sad smile. He laughed as the swing went a little higher, kicking his legs in happiness. Sometimes she felt as if he had been with them forever, that life hadn't started until he arrived, that everything before him was the blurry background in a picture where he was the sharp focus. Other times she felt like she had looked into his eyes for the first time only yesterday, had taken note of the deep denim blue and wondered if they would stay that way. Whether it had been a lifetime or a moment, it still wasn't enough and he was growing too fast.

The swing came to a stop and he jumped off of it, landing on his knees in the sawdust.

"Whoops," he said, standing up and brushing himself off. "How about this now?"

He ran for the monkey bars and jumped up, trying to grab them.

"I need help."

"Buddy you're wearing me out."

"You take a nap."

"If I take a nap, who's going to lift you up?"

He sighed and shrugged and she lifted him up so he could grab the monkey bars. He hung there for a moment, swaying slightly and looking at the ground with trepidation.

"I need down."

Chuckling, she settled him back on the ground.

"Are you ready to go now?"

"Home?"

"No, I thought we could go to the library and pick out some books for you."

"Books!" he shouted, raising both arms in the air as if he had just scored the winning touchdown. "I want lots, mommy."

"We'll see."

* * *

They returned home a while later, tired but content. William had spent a long time laying on the floor of the kids section of the library, poring over picture books and telling himself stories. It had been hard to leave with only seven books, but Scully had finally promised him that they would be back in a week and if he would stop begging for more books, she would get him some hot chocolate on the way home. He now had hot chocolate all over his face, but he was pretty happy, so she didn't mind the mess.

Music was playing loudly from the stereo when they walked in the door and William dumped his books on the kitchen floor then ran into the other room.

"Music, mommy!" he shouted just before he rounded the corner. She grinned and picked up the books, then headed into the other room.

Mulder was dancing with Ellie who was kicking her feet in delight. William laughed and danced around the coffee table, stopping every once in a while to jump or spin. He ran over and grabbed her hand and gave her a huge smile.

"Dance too mommy! With me!"

She picked him up spun him around to which he let out a huge belly laugh. The four of them danced around the room, the kids giggling and Mulder singing loudly.

"I was walkin' in Memphis, walkin' with my feet ten feet off of Beale. Walkin' in Memphis, but do I really feel the way I feel?"

It wasn't the Cher version, but it was sentimental enough to bring a smile to Scully's face, especially when Mulder reached out and grabbed her waist and pulled her to him in a slow dance at the end of the song. He leaned down and kissed her and William threw his hands over his eyes.

"EW!"

"Give it about ten years buddy," Mulder said with a chuckle.

"So, did you accomplish your goal for the day?" Scully asked as Mulder moved to turn the stereo down. He nodded and put Ellie's feet in the floor, holding her for a second while she got her balance.

"Go get mommy," he coached.

With a squeal she took a few hesitant steps and toddled across the room, crashing into Scully's legs with a grin.

"Ellie's fast!" William decided, squirming down from Scully's arms. "Let's go, sister."

He dashed towards the toybox and Ellie shrieked, taking a few steps before falling down and crawling the rest of the way.

"Daddy, play with us," William requested, tossing a few toys behind him in the search for something else. "Mommy too."

They joined the kids on the floor and spent the rest of the day playing together, just their own little family in their own little world.


End file.
